St. Louis Conference: 2000
Table of Contents
John 4:1-13
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And the Appendix #18.
Though I shall be like thy sound.
And is it?
All.
Right we are here.
At all.
I glory blinded, Lord.
Ah, so appreciate you.
Lord.
Matthew.
Matthew's Gospel.
Chapter 26 of Matthew.
And verse 6 Matthew 26 Six Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the House of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head as he sat at me.
00:05:17
But when his disciples saw, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me you have not always.
For in that she hath poured disloyment on my body she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told for a memorial of her.
John's Gospel.
Chapter 12.
Verse 3.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of Spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment.
Let's pray our blessed God.
And I be forgiven if I make a few comments.
I was thinking about Mr. Darby when he just before he passed away.
He made the request, he said he wished that the Brethren, the Brethren, he said.
Would not give up John's ministry that they would. He commanded the ministry of young to the Saints, he says, So needful in these last days.
Well, I think I'm a dear Mr. Ballot who we love. We're going to see you one day. Mr. Darby went to visit him.
And.
He found that he was on his deathbed, He said, Oh, he was so saw him as he's so sadly different.
Dorothy Nolan.
Anyhow.
But his heart was filled, Seems that in his last utterances.
He dwelled so much on that scene, that psycho as well.
And.
Someone has put in verse.
Only those last utterances of dear Mr. Ballot.
And I think of some of the lines. Well, he says it is the man Christ Jesus with with whom.
I'm going to dwell.
The very man of Saikar.
Who sat upon the whale?
Whose matchless love filled that poor soul and gave her eyes to see that he was God's anointed? And the man that the man that died for me, all the man that died for me seemed to be the theme of our dear brother. Last moment and at the end.
To see the one the world cast doubt to be with him up there.
Before the Kingdom glories.
And the many Crowns appear.
Old and the man of Saikar.
It is him I'm going to see.
The man who sits in glory, the man who died for me. Well, I was just wondering if you forgive me if I was to just suggest for maybe for an hour or so, maybe we can dwell a little on the 4th of John.
00:10:22
Is that before disciples? And John? Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples, he left Jadia and departed again to Galilee. And he must need to go through Samaria, and cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Psychor, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being worried with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was about the 6th hour.
Samaria to draw water. Jesus sat under her Give me to drink, for his disciples were going away and to the city to buy meat.
Then said the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, ask his drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans? Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is, that's after thee, give me the drink, I would have asked of him, and he would have given the living water? The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou has nothing to draw with.
And the well is deep. From whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the whale, and drank thereof himself and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water, that I shall give him.
Shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither Come, hit her to draw, Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hit her. The woman answered, and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.
And that says thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet, our fathers worshipped in this mountain. And ye say that in Jerusalem is a place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father, He worship ye know not what we know what we worship. For salvation is of the Jews, But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, For the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee, am he? And upon this came his disciples, and marveled, that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said, what seeketh thou, or why talketh thou with her? The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men.
Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat, that you know not of. Therefore saith the disciples, 1 To another hath any man brought him, ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye there are yet four months, And then cometh to harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields for
they are quite already to harvest.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. 1 Soweth, and another reapeth I sent you to reap, that were on ye bestowed no labor other men labored, and ye are entered into their laborers. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman which testified.
He told me all that ever I did So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them, and he bowed there two days, and many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman. Now we believe not because of the saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.
00:15:27
John presents the Lord Jesus as the Son of God from all eternity.
His deity brought out in a most wonderful way in the first chapter.
But he was. But he was one who became man. He became a man. We find him, and John presents him as one who.
It's hungry, thirsty and weary.
He'd sit on a well and ask a drink of a poor outcast airing daughter of.
Samaria.
What a savior. What a friend.
Because he said, pardon me, you have something to say?
Because he's presented in John as the Son of God deity. You have no genealogy in John's gospel. How can God have a genealogy? He always existed. He's the I am no beginning and no ending. So it's beautiful to see that there's one other gospel that has no genealogy. I believe that would be Marx. He's the perfect servant.
The servant boasts not in his ancestors or genealogy. So as a perfect servant and as the Son of God deity, there's no genealogy for Jesus. But of course you have one in Matthew and you have one in Luke.
We won't get into that, but there's none here.
He always was at no beginning.
Ma'am, why do you think the woman was found sitting on Jacob's well?
Jacob's well.
Well, I suppose these, those Samaritans, they've taken over pretty much what the what really belonged to Israel and what really belonged to Israel. In fact, they even had their own temple. They even built a temple, and that's what made him so odious to the Jews. The Jews had no use for them because they appropriated what belonged, what really belonged just to God's earthly people. Did you claim you've got something better than?
Born with that.
Jesus in his tribals went from Judea to Galilee, and he did not bypass Samaria because of the mixed race that was there. He came to present himself to the Jews, but there were others in the land, and it was a time of confusion if you go back to the way it started. And 2nd King 17 after the captivity.
There was trouble in the land where Israel had come from and.
I don't remember it well, but the the king that led them captive sought to stop that, and so he imported some profits back into Samaria amongst that people who were largely of another race and back there it made a mixture.
And it says there I'll just read a verse without turning.
You turning to it?
The 33rd verse of.
Second King, 17 says they feared the Lord.
And serve their own gods after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from this Now I think that would direct us back to Don's.
Address of the state.
That the Church has a responsible vessel of testimony has got into, and he pointed out some of the most severe errors and sins in that which is professing Christianity the day in which you and I live.
00:20:11
So we have to go back to God and get the truth from Jesus.
The one who is the Son of God.
Who always would direct us rightly, and that through the word of God. So it's and I think the heart of God, the heart of the Lord Jesus in this chapter is to direct us today to the true place of worship.
That's right. Please hold. That's the grand theme of this chapter is worship.
Worship.
The book ends up twice in Revelation with a little statement. You worship yours, worship God.
You're not. He was at Jacob's well because Jacob was named Israel by Jehovah and that's his chosen people. And and the well speaks of the word of God itself, the source of it. Water is typically the word of God in scripture. But I was just thinking of that Jacob's will. Israel had the word of God, and that's where the water of life comes from.
And they started with Israel. They had it.
She didn't have it, but she was sitting up above it, looking down at it, wanting to draw it out. So he turns her two living water. You find living water again in the end of Revelation.
And you find the tree of life in the end of Revelation, so all the failure of man.
And the frustration that it's caused.
Confusion which is going to end up in another Babylon in the professing house. I'd like for Don to say something on this.
Is that Don?
Well, I guess I just want to make a comment about he must needs to go through some area when God.
Lays hold of something as his own, he never gives it up.
And the Lord Jesus could say, those whom thou hast given me, have I lost none?
And in one sense to say he must needs go through Samaria, Well, the only way he could avoid it was to go outside the land, because you had to go through Samaria to get from Judea to Galilee physically. But in a spiritual sense, he had to go to Samaria because this woman was there and Jacob's well belonged to the people of God. And he wasn't going to give it up in another way either. And so the Lord what's his own?
Ultimately he never give it up and to me it's a wonderful thing that the grace of God.
At work here says I have a soul in that place.
And I have to go there for her sake. And in this, I don't want to interrupt you, but is that kind of the answer to what He said? I have meat to eat that you know, not I'll. It was food for the Lord to go out to those poor people.
Absolutely. The whole conversation between the Lord and this woman is at first a total miscommunication, as it were, on her part, because she thinks he's talking about physical water and and people and so on.
But the Lord Jesus is constantly bringing before her something more wonderful, which is a spiritual water, the living water. And for us too, the same often may happen in our lives. The Lord speaks to us, and at first we don't understand them. We don't realize what point in our lives He's getting to. But the wonderful thing is that if it's the Lord doing it, he will get to the point in a way that is comprehensible and understandable to our own souls. And so we follow this woman and we follow the Lord in this dialogue and.
There's at first no understanding between them, but in the end she she knows him for who he is.
The Lord had come down to the feast of Passover.
And but he. And while he was down in Jerusalem, he.
Did many great, many miracles, and there was real blessing, and the crowds flocked to him. Well, this drew force the jealousy and hatred of the of the of the the.
00:25:08
In Jerusalem, those those Jewish.
Well.
What was the name?
Pharisee. Yes, the Pharisee. Excuse me. Yes, the Pharisees. And so, well, the Lord wouldn't stay. So he he goes, He's on his way back to.
On his back to Galilee, and he must needs go through some areas, as what said, in order to get to where he wanted to go. But it was, I believe that we have two contrasts here. We have Jacob's well, which is deep.
The well which is deep and the wells of this world are deep, but the.
The Lord Jesus, he gives the living water. It's a fountain. It's a fountain. And we don't have to labor together. We don't have to labor together. And so the how many our poor souls all around us who are seeking to get refreshment from the from the wells of this world and the wells of this world are deep and so worrisome. But the Lord Jesus gives the living water, the living water.
And I asked the question here. Was it just to get a drink?
To satisfy his thirst, to slake his thirst that the Lord asked for a drink from this woman. How about it, Jim?
Do you think the only reason why he wanted it? I think.
Was it not because he wanted to get a conversation started with this woman?
He wanted to open, open her up, as it were, and lead her.
And it doesn't seem as if she was altogether closed. Her heart wasn't all, wasn't all closed against God.
But he wanted to lead her into a precious truth and give her the word. And it's the word that's that that brings about our salvation. Peter speaks about it as the incorruptible word whereby we have been born again. It's the end. And this is what the Lord wanted to do, to get into her. Was, was the Word, His word, and we it was wonderful how he.
But you know, there was this was a picture we have here of a poor, lonely woman.
She'd come there to draw water at a time of the day when women don't come, didn't come to draw water. It was in the heat of the day. She came, no doubt because she was ashamed. She was ashamed of her, of her life. She wouldn't be ashamed. So much ashamed today in our society. Sad to say, but she was ashamed to come.
And there was a stranger, and she could see that he was a Jew. Oh, what a lonely soul she was. But there was one there that was more lonely than she was. The loneliest man that ever saw this earth as he speak about him as the Pelican of the wilderness. An owl of the desert he was as a Sparrow alone upon the housetop. He was more lonely than she was, but his heart went out to that poor soul.
And he wanted to make her a worshipper, and that was what he was out for. The worshiper see in John's Gospel, as our brother has brought before us the Son of God down here dealing with individuals as individuals. And I've enjoyed in reading through John's gospel to see how that he didn't deal with the woman here at the well the same way he had dealt with Nicodemus in the previous chapter, he met souls where they were.
Of course, being the Son of God, he knew man through and through as it says of him. He knew what was in man and needed that none should testify of man.
But you see him dealing in this way. He met Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews, familiar with the law. He met him on that ground, took him up on that ground, said, art thou A ruler, a teacher in Israel, and knowest not these things? But is that the way he dealt with the woman here? No, he met her in her need. She knew she was a Sinner, no doubt his brother Clem says that's why she came to the well at that time of day. You didn't have to tell her that she was a Sinner. She understood this, and her life certainly proved it.
But then you go on through John's Gospel. In the next chapter, there was a man who needed to be healed. Did the Lord deal with that man the same way he dealt with the woman at the well? No. He met her again as an individual. And I think, brethren, it's a good exercise for us because we have opportunity to meet and to deal with souls from day-to-day in the sphere in which God places us, whether it's at school, whether it's at work, whether it's at in the neighborhood where we live.
00:30:15
Whether it's in the assembly and we need to be exercised to seek the discernment that the Lord can give, and He does delight to give it to us if we seek it, that discernment to meet souls where they are and to deal with them as individuals. But if you'll just allow me in connection with the question that was raised as a little earlier, I'd like to add a comment or two. Because you know it's always good when we take up something in the word of God to go back to the beginning.
Of that thing, and we won't turn to it. But if we were to go back to Genesis 33 and 34, I think we have some very helpful instruction as to why the Lord Jesus must sit here on Cycar as well. We find that, as it says here, it's the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And if we were to go back to the 33rd of Genesis, we would see the purchase of that piece of ground. But then in the 34th chapter, something comes in.
Sin comes in and their shame connected with this parcel of ground in connection with the matter of Dinah. We won't go into it. Read it sometime for yourself, and you'll see that there was shame now connected with this parcel of ground. But here was the true Joseph. Come now in, John Four. And why had he come? How could he sit on side cars? Well, brethren, he'd come to remove all the shame. Isn't that a wonderful thing? He knew there was shame connected with that place.
He knew the heart of this woman that came at this moment as he sat there, but he could speak to her in the way he did. He could offer her a gift because he had come to remove the shame. And perhaps it would be helpful to go back to the 48th of Genesis, because there I believe we have something else that helps us in connection with this thought, in connection with Joseph.
And in Genesis 48 and verse 21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die, but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. And then notice this verse. Moreover I have given to the one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. Now would you agree with me that this speaks prophetically of the work of Calvary?
How could the Lord Jesus come to remove all the shame? How could he offer her this wonderful gift here, this living water? Oh, he was looking forward to the cross, he said, I have a baptism wherewith to be baptized, and how am I straightened until it be accomplished? And as you trace through John's Gospel, these various instances of dealing with individuals, what was the Lord Jesus looking forward to? What was the basis on which he could bless? What was the basis on which he could sit on the well and speak to this woman?
Oh, he knew what was at the end of the journey, brethren. He knew that the cross was before him and that he was going to take that portion with his sword and with his bow. Well, I just add those comments in connection with what has been said, because I do think it has a connection.
Joseph is a fruitful bow. His branches go over the wall. All right, Dave, these branches. And now the Lord had told the disciples when He sent them out, they were not to go into them, and they were not to go into the cities of the Samaritans.
But here we find the Lord himself. Well, here's here's Joseph. He's a fruitful bow. His branches are going over the wall to bring blessing to a poor, poor, sinful woman. Oh what? What a savior. What a what? A what a Lord. And.
Joseph as the fruitful bow, he's now leaving Judea and he's now leaving Israel and he's reaching out to the Gentiles. And so when you, you know every word in the word of God, every number and every name has meaning. Well, we shouldn't just push over so quick. But I would mention verse three, he left Judea and he went to Galilee. You know, Judea is where Jerusalem was.
It's also where the Lord was crucified. It's where it was the Holy Land.
And he left it. And why? He wanted to go to Galilee. Galilee means the circuit all the way around the world, and so now it's to Gentiles, Jews and Gentiles alike. That's why he went to Galilee. It has that meaning. But it says.
00:35:08
A woman of Samaria. What does Samaria mean? Stranger in this world. And you know, Gentiles were strangers.
To God's promise to Israel. And so while he's reaching out a branch that has branches of all whose branches go over the wall, the closure of Israel, he's leaving it. And he's reaching out to Gentiles who were dogs at that time. They considered them dogs as the woman who came to Jesus and wanted her daughter healed, he says we don't take the bread for the.
What was the word children and give it to dogs? Well, she took the place. She was a gentile, yes, but dogs can have the crumbs from the table.
Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead and admire was to think of the person of the blessed Son of God as we had earlier, the Creator. All things are created by him. Nothing was ever created but what he it was created by him. And so. But here he is at that blessed man, thirsty and tired after press bait on the road for hours. And they walked. In those days there is sitting on the well the blessed man.
Blessed man of Sichard sitting there on the well, and he's talking to this poor outcast, this poor woman. Oh, what a moment for her in her lifetime.
He was weary.
The creator of this world, all powerful, almighty, was weary. As a man, He suffered the same things we did apart from sin. It said Jesus wept and he was thirsty and he was tired and he wearied. You know, that's wonderful that we can see him as a real man. That's incarnation God in flesh.
I remember in the meeting he he sort of contended that it was 6:00 in the morning. This took place well.
This same question was asked Mr. Darby. Well, he says I've always taken it to be noon when I look at looked up in the Bible dictionary as something for.
The temperatures in Palestine, they run up in the summertime, they run up to 100 and 300 and 303 and there they were, these blessed Lord.
With his disciples trudging up and down those dusty roads of Palestine.
In order to bring blessing to poor souls, well, the I was thinking about.
All that the.
The Lord, he was on his way back. He was on his way back to Galilee. And that's where I believe in Matthew and Mark and Luke. Most of his activities were in Galilee and John we find him more so in around Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the was the great seat of Judaism. Judaism was the national as it were in in a sense was the national, was the national.
The religion of the Jews. The national religion of the Jews. God put an end to the whole thing.
John judged the whole thing at the cross.
And then finally God loved the Romans to come up. He destroyed their temple and destroyed their city and and as it were he wiped the whole thing out until.
And God has begun, and God has found a new world.
A new world founded upon the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and you by grace, all who know the Lord as our Savior. And that poor woman at Psychar, she's all We're all in that new world now by grace, and we're looking for his coming to take us to be where He is. He's the man that sits in glory, the man that died for me.
Oh, isn't he in Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 13? It's interesting. It says my people have committed.
Two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. The Lord Jesus himself and his person is the fountain of living waters. There he was sitting, and I think it is so beautiful to meditate on it, and it is so profitable for us to think of this.
00:40:10
Here's a man, a weary man sitting on the side of the well, a thirsty man, and just to repeat what has already been said, reading from Isaiah 40. What is true of this man who is sitting on the edge of the well? Isaiah 40 and verse 28.
Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard?
That the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no mighty increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, and shall mount up with wings as Eagles.
They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Here's the one who is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.
And it says he's not weary. But here's a man sitting on the edge of the well that is wearied with his journey. Oh brethren, the beauty of knowing Jesus, his person, as the everlasting God at the same time as a real man here in this world. And as a man, he was weary. He was thirsty. He was hungry. Passed through the circumstances of life that you and I passed through. We can't look up and say.
God, you don't understand.
The circumstances I'm passing through he does because he went through them all. And that's what constitutes the well that flows, dear brethren, to satisfy these thirsty hearts of ours. It's him himself that is the fountain of the living waters. Here comes this woman, and she was going to, as ordinance said, have to pull.
A long ways that water out of that deep well. But here was the fountain sitting right on the edge of Jacob's well. What a beautiful thing to meditate. Brennan, I'd like to let you.
Verse 4 Where it does say must go through Samaria. I don't believe it was because of the restrictions of topography that he must go through Samaria, nor do I. But I believe it was because of the needs of a poor sinful woman that he must go through Samaria. You know, must means something different than shell or will. Must means absolutely necessary.
Webster. But that's what it means, Mr. Darby. It doesn't really think that that was the underlying need that that was customary for the Jews to go through Samaria to get up to. However, no doubt God was over at all, and there was this woman sitting there. She came. God knows how to bring souls together, to bring them to Christ.
What her brother Bob Tony has said. I think it's wonderful to realize that the Lord Jesus.
Never passes is any of his own through anything in the path of faith and service that he as a man hasn't felt himself. Sometimes, perhaps, the young people feel well, it's hard to take a stand for the Lord, and sometimes they feel reproached even amongst their their fellow young people. You feel reproached at school or at work. But then the hardest reproach is to take from the other young people. You say they ought to know, ought to know better. But what about the Lord Jesus when he was here?
It says, reproach hath broken my heart. He knew what it was to be misunderstood. He knew what it was to be reproached, as well as the things that Bob has already mentioned. And we sometimes sing a hymn. 281 In the little flock with joy we meditate. The grace of God's high priest. Above his heart is filled with tenderness. His very name is love. He, in the days of feeble flesh, poured out his cries and tears, and though ascended, feels afresh what every member bears.
You say nobody knows what I'm going through, nobody knows how I feel inside, but there's one who does.
He knows us through and through and he's not only with us in the circumstance, but he walked here amongst men.
And it tells us in the end of Hebrews chapter 2 it says it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren.
00:45:03
That he might be a faith, a merciful, and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God.
And then it gives us two reasons why he did that. One, that he might make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
And the other is that he being tempted, is able to sucker them that are tempted. Because, brethren, he could have come as a full grown man, gone to Calvary's cross, and accomplished the work of eternal redemption. But he didn't do it that way. And there are those of us in this room this afternoon who are at various stages both of physical growth and spiritual growth. And think of the Lord Jesus. Did he know what it was to be a boy, a child growing up in this world? Indeed, he did know what it was.
To be a child growing up in this world, he knew what it was to have brothers and sisters in a family circle and earthly parents. Did he know what it was to be a young person and how hard it is to live for God's glory in this world? Indeed, he did. He grew up a young person here in this world.
He was a boy of 12 years old. There in Luke's Gospel he was a young person, he was a man and he experienced all these things. And now it says.
It says we have not in high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points. Notice that not just in some things, but in all points, tempted like as we are yet without sin. He was wholly harmless, undefiled, and suffered from sinners.
But as a man, a perfect man, he felt keenly everything that he he passed through, and now he feels it with us. So I just say that there's a very human side. Yes, we have his divinity brought out in John's gospel, perhaps in a way that it's not brought out anywhere else but in John's ministry. But we have a very human aspect of what is here.
The thought of the word tempted because in English.
It has more than one meaning, and it's used consecutively in connection with the Lord.
But he could not have a lust for anything down here. Never.
His delight was to do the Father's will.
That was his food, his delight. It really means tried in many cases, and no one was tried like him in all those aspects, but he was just as perfect as a man, as he is as God. Now that's the inscrutable person of the Lord Jesus, whom we cannot know, but we believe it. I think that he went through that these tests, these awful tests for man, and it was a trial to him.
But when Satan came to catch him.
Perhaps in the 13th of this book, but that doesn't matter.
Meaning when the Lord's words are, if thou knewest, the gift of God, would you give us a word on that?
Well, I'll say something then. I'll listen to you on that point, but.
If thou knewest the gift of God.
That's verse 10.
And who it is?
That saith unto thee, Give me to drink, Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. And the Lord, in meeting this woman, getting into her heart, reveals who it was. It was talking, and if you go on down, she is getting late and.
In the 25th verse she asks another question.
It's developed here, the woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When he is come, he will tell us all things. Now look, the Lord's answer revealed it. The Lord says unto her. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee and.
I am. I am.
There she met the Lord and are thinking of that when Bob was talking about the whale, that Christ is the whale that just before that or just after that she got so animated that she left her water pot and went away to seek others to tell them. And some have said, well, she left the water of this world and she went away with the well. She went away with the well who is the one who is the living water. So that answers the question, doesn't it there well.
00:50:06
Bill is the gift of God. I think it. I think it's reads a little easier if don't know it's God as the giving God.
God had all ever prior to this. God had been as a demander. He was demanding people. That was what the that was the nature of the law. The law demanded from that man. But God never got anything from man. Man never had anything for God, and but God had. God has everything for man. That's what we have here. If thou knows God as a giving God. So from from here on, God is the is the giving God. It's our newest God as the giving God.
And then he says, If thou and if thou knows who it is that saith unto thee, He doesn't say. He doesn't say, Well, do you know who I am? If you knew who I am, why you would you would ask? I would ask of him, and he would have given me the living wire. But the Lord takes that low, low place, He says, If thou knewest who it is, and so it's gone as the giving God. But then to think of what God has given, He's given his own dear Son, and here he is down here on this earth. What a gift.
What a gift. It's only with God as the giving God. God delights to God delights to give.
And so he has given us all things in Christ and all things in Christ, and the Lord Jesus here is the One.
He's the one that gives the living water. He gives the living water. So we have all the blessed Godhead, all here in this verse, God the Father.
Who gives the Lord Jesus? Who gives the living water? And we have the Spirit of God. I believe the living water here is the Spirit of God. Is that right, Madam?
I believe it is Clem, although I think it's connected with life in the spirit. It's the life and the spirit himself that makes that life what it is in US.
There's quite a con between the divine well, the Lord Jesus, of whom it says springing up, and the well. That the woman here came to the well at Jacob's Well because she had to draw and the well was deep has been mentioned. But I've wondered, without reading into scripture something that isn't here, as she came from day-to-day and year to year and others no doubt came from day-to-day and year to year to draw up this water. I wonder if from year to year they didn't have to go a little deeper each time.
To draw of the water that only satisfied for the moment. And isn't that the way it is with the wells of this world? Isn't that the way it is with sin? Brethren, If there's someone here and you're trying the wells and cisterns of this world, that is, you think that the things of this world are going to satisfy your soul. You'll find that perhaps for a moment they do. There is pleasure in sin for a seasoned scripture says. And so you find that momentary pleasure, that momentary satisfaction which as someone else said is gone with the act. But don't you find that you have to go deeper. The thing that satisfied yesterday is not the thing that satisfied tomorrow. And we see this in the world all around us. Men going deeper and deeper into sin to try to satisfy their poor hearts. Is it going to satisfy. No. Did this water that she?
Drew from this deep well satisfy her soul. No, it did anything but that.
But one day she came, as we've been saying, and she found one. And she didn't have to draw here and go deeper and deeper each time. No, this was the well of water springing up into everlasting life. And we can drink deeper and deeper of that well, and it will satisfy our souls now, and I suppose it will satisfy our souls for eternity. But let's not be digging or drawing from the wells of this world that don't satisfy. And some of us have had to learn by bitter experience that these things don't satisfy.
But you don't have to learn it by better experience. The Word of God tells us these things and the result and the folly of drawing from the world's pleasure to warn us not to do it. Sometimes people say, well, a young person has to sow their wild oats to find out what the result is. That's not true. Sometimes we learn by those things, and God is gracious, but we don't have to draw from these wells are so wild oats to find out what the result is. The Word of God tells us very plainly what the result is, but he also tells us the positive as well.
The Lord Jesus said in the 6th chapter in verse 35 he says I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And I do appreciate Mr. Darby's translation. He adds the words at any time. I think that's in the original.
00:55:07
He that believeth on me shall never thirst at any time, you know it's a strengthened negative and.
He also says that applies to hungering. Those that come to him shall never hunger at any time. I really enjoyed those strengthened negatives that were used.
Of our chapter.
Where it says he had sat down at that well of Jacob's the Sycar as well, but this woman who was a prostitute.
Known as such by all the women of that city because they wouldn't come with her when she drew water.
But at any rate, he said to her, give me the drink. Why was that strange? The Israelites had nothing to do, no dealings at all with the Samaritans. And she said, you asked me to give you water. You're a Jew, You're an Israelite in a sense. Well, you know, Jesus Christ could touch the dead body. And of course, a Nazarite in Israel could never touch a dead body, even if a dead man.
If a man fell dead next to him, bumped him accidentally, he lost his Nazarite ship. But Jesus could touch the dead body. He could touch the coffin with it in there, and the young boy would sit up. And you know, when the leper came to Jesus, he said, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean what Jesus nearly had to say. I will. That's all. But in another gospel it says he touched him.
That's compassion.
But no one else could touch a leper and not get contaminated. But not Jesus. You know, it's beautiful. So here on this woman, he could say, give me the drink. And what did she say? Well, she said, I'm a woman of Samaria. How is it, thou, being a Jew, Ask us drink of me, which I'm a woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Well, you know, Jesus can touch that.
A leper speaks of evil and sin. Leprosy always speaks of that in the word of God, typically. Well, the Lord could touch the leper. He hated sin, he hated evil, but he loved the Sinner has been brought out already. And so this woman who had five husbands and the one she's living with is not her husband at all. The Lord loved her. Isn't that beautiful? He loved her, and that's what they've been mentioning.
He hates sin. That's why anyone who does not receive him as savior and has his sins washed away in his blood is going to face the wrath of the lamb and that's Jehovah Jesus. He'll be the judge and he hates sin. He has the punishment because of righteousness.
The Lord Jesus approaches this woman or begins the conversation.
As far as we know, he never got a drink of water, but he started the conversation on a level that she knew what he meant. And I think, as has been mentioned, in dealing with souls we have to get where they are, otherwise we we're just talking way above their head and things that we they don't understand. But she understood what thirst was and here was a man that asked her.
To give him to drink of the well, and she understood that. But another thing I think is so interesting, brethren, is that.
When she responds with what she says, how is it that thou, being a Jew, ask us drink of Maine, which I'm a woman of Samaria?
He doesn't really answer her question. If you notice what is said in verse 10, he just answers the need of her heart. And I think that's an interesting thing to think about in dealing with people too that are still.
Strangers to the grace of God is not to answer their curious questions, but to answer their conscience, as Paul says in Second Corinthians chapter.
For commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
And so he doesn't answer her question, he just leads her on to the next step. I think it's so beautiful, brethren to to see how he leads her on. He doesn't scare her away. I'm afraid that when I deal with souls, sometimes I scare them away and I need to meditate more on this perfect servant and the perfection in the which he dealt with souls.
01:00:20
Is to be meditated on brethren beautiful, and I enjoyed what was brought out to that in verse 10 in the Lord's answer.
He talks about God as a giving God, brethren, that's Christianity.
In Judaism, the focus was what man could produce for God. In Christianity, we can say it's basically the opposite. It's what God is for man. We have learned God to be a giving God. Oh what a great giver he is. Oh how he loves to give. And not only when we need salvation brethren, but all our Christian lives.
We prove again and again and again what a great giver he is. He loves to give. You need more grace to continue on. Sometimes you meet with souls that are weary in going on with the Lord, and they feel like they're at the end of their tether. They need more grace working to get more grace. He gives more grace. You need some more ask. He's a great giver and he loves to keep right on giving all our Christian lives. That's what's characteristic of Christianity.
So young people, when Christianity is presented as sometimes it is that God expects you to produce, that is really more characteristic of Judaism. It's not what his characteristic of Christianity and Christianity. God gives. And we're the receiver and our hearts are so filled that the things of this world don't fit in there any longer. No, there's no more room for him. It's not that God has deprived us of some pleasure in this world. No, He's just filled the heart so full that we no longer need those other things.
This poor world offers not his own son, but delivered him up for his all. How shall he not with him also freely give us all things. He's a giving God. Yes, he's a giving. His gracious giving out I believe we have. There are two words I believe in this. The well and what the Lord speaks about. Here is the living water shelves. A springing well. It's it's it's a different word. I believe what we have a springing well.
And it's and it's springing upward. The whales of this world are deep, but here's a whale that springs upward.
Always fresh.
No. Took a trip down here into the Ozark Mountains and saw the biggest spring I've ever seen. Maybe some of you have been there.
I was amazed at it and what you're saying.
The class of this water makes you think of what produces a spring. They've got some mountains down there.
And the water starts from heaven. That's where it comes from. It comes down to this earth and it's the rocks, and it gets down the crevices and gets down there deep in the earth and builds up the pressure, the pressures, according to the height of the water that that's pushing on it. And when it finds an outlet, it will arise up to the same level. Now if you and I can get this water of the Word into us.
Maybe we'll have the heart and the intelligence.
To meet a soul in their need by the word of God. That's what meet souls need. It's the word. That's what comes from God.
Put out by pressure in the preacher.
It's it's work to preach the gospel sometimes, but it's a lovely thing. And the water that comes out of a spring is so wonderful. Well, that's the well. It'll be in him, a well of life springing up, and the water comes down. It satisfies our tools and then it close, and then the sun, the sun draws it back up and it returns to its own source where it came from. And so with the living water, it comes down, it satisfies our thirst.
And flows back up in worship to God, and it also flows out to others too. And that's what you have in the 7th of John where the Lord Jesus said, let's just read it because just to follow up what our brethren have been bringing before us. Verse 37 of the 7th chapter, in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus cried saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. That's individual. That's the first thing that's taking that drink yourself and finding it satisfies.
01:05:18
And then he says he that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said. Now notice this Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake concerning the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive, and so on. And so there's an outflow to others. But, brethren, if we don't drink it ourselves, it can't flow out to others. We can only share what we've taken in ourselves. Are we walking in the power of the Spirit and enjoying the precious things of Christ? Then we can't help but share them with others. Why is it sometimes when I meet a soul, either an unbeliever or a believer, who needs?
Needs help that an unbeliever needs the gospel. The believer maybe needs encouragement or something of Christ. Why is it sometimes I can't give that person what they need? I haven't been drinking myself. I haven't taken it in. But if we're enjoying these precious things of which we've been speaking white brethren, then it'll just flow out as a river of living water to others. And so let's be exercised to drink deep ourselves of this living water, that there might be that blessing.
And I'd like to say this too, because we've passed on a little and there's a little expression in verse eight. I think we ought not to miss, brethren.
It says for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat. Now why did the spirit of God record this little expression? I believe one thing it shows is that the Lord desired to be alone with this soul, because that's the way the Lord deals with souls. We were speaking earlier of the Lord dealing with souls as individuals.
But he delights to deal with them alone. There was a case, I think it's in Mark's Gospel where there was a blind man.
And what did the Lord Jesus do? Did he heal him in front of the whole crowd? No. It says he took him outside the city. He got alone. And this blind man got alone in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And there was blessing. And I believe it was ordered of the Lord that these disciples would go into the city at this very moment to buy meat, so that as this woman approached the well and the Lord Jesus sat there weary with his journey, he could spend a little time alone with the Lord Jesus. And maybe you'll allow me to just make a practical remark or two in that connection.
Because it's true that in connection with salvation, that's the way the Lord deals with us. And if there's somebody here who's not saved this afternoon, get along with the Lord. Oh, I don't mean you have to leave your seat and go outside, but get along with the Lord and your soul right where you are. He wants to save you. He wants to give you this living water and satisfy your soul's thirst as we've been speaking. Get alone in the presence of the Lord. Have you ever been alone as a Sinner in the presence of the Lord?
Going to find out this woman received a term men just blessing because she spent a little time alone. Is it true? He exposed what she was? Indeed, the light manifested exactly what she was. She couldn't hide. And you can't hide in the presence of the light this afternoon. You can't hide what even your thoughts he knows afar off but what a blessing. But then if I could just say this too. For those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, do we are we exercise to spend those times alone?
In the presence of the Lord Jesus, why is it sometimes I'm dry and barren in my soul, why is it sometimes there isn't that living water flowing out? I suggest, brethren, it's because perhaps one reason is because we haven't spent enough time in the presence of the well, drawing on the well. But let's spend some time He wants to deal with us as His children, alone in His presence.
Happened to Job in the 42nd chapter. Now to start with, Job was the best man that God had.
But God lets Satan get at him, and Satan is effectual in bringing in terrible things, whether you read through the book of Job and there are some 40 or more chapters where Job is just losing everything except his integrity.
And he didn't lose that until he gets the 42nd chapter and finally is convinced to say to God, I've heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine I see it thee he was alone in the presence of God, He says, Wherefore I am ***** myself, Where's his integrity gone? Well, he gets the blessing. He gets a double blessing. God alone with a soul be saved or not saved.
01:10:09
Is a wonderful thing because God wants to produce something.
And it's wonderful that when we feel comfortable alone in the presence of the Lord, that's a test of our state of soul. We can come to these meetings, we can be with the people of God, and certainly that's part of Christianity. And certainly fellowship one with another is a blessed resource given to us for the pathway down here. But the real test of our state of soul, brethren, is can you get a loan in the presence of the Lord and feel comfortable? And I've enjoyed that in connection with David.
Little expression. David was a man after God's own heart, and this is what it says. He sat before the Lord.
Don't read of them saying anything. Just can you sit comfortable in the presence of the Lord. If you have a loved one and you sit in their presence, sometimes you don't even have to speak, but you feel comfortable in the presence of that loved one, and things perhaps pass between you even though you don't say one word aloud. That's the way David felt comfortable in the presence of his God. Let's learn to be comfortable in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
David Clive, when he was having so much trouble all the way around him, and it finally gets to the place where it says and David encouraged himself in the Lord his God, but there wasn't anything around. He encouragement from the Lord was there. That's true of us, no matter what's happening.
I'm going to say that all of the Lord, the Lord says to this woman, it doesn't reach her. It really doesn't involve your speaking about the word entering the conscience, Mr. Darby. Somewhere, he remarks. He doesn't believe there's one truth that ever is received through the intellect. It must come through, received through the conscience.
Received through the conscience. Well, that's really what we have here.
This woman she could she could talk about. We know that when messiahs can't he'll tell us all things. Apparently she was intelligent soul and but what the Lord said to her was never got anywhere until he put his finger on it and he says go call thy husband. Now this this is this is getting down into her conscience And then from then on then we find a change. So the truth enters through the conscience and then.
It receded into our hearts but came to mind Clem.
Twin conscience came to man. When did he get conscience?
Who told thee? Who told thee that thou was naked?
The minute.
And God saw to it, it was in the IT was in the mercy of God that when God drove him out of the garden, he sent him away with a conscience. And this is what we all have every son of Adam has has that conscience.
That's right.
That was there. God shut that off, but God brings it back through the work of Christ.
Who came to put away the sin?
And to give life as we're getting here. And so we see.
In the last chapter of the Bible, let's just turn to that 22nd chapter and read the 1St 2 verses because it's one of the very wonderful things that we get in the book as it closes up.
There are the two things mentioned. We've touched on them in this meeting.
And John writes in verse one of chapter 22 of Revelation. And he showed me a pure river of the water of life. There it is a pure river in the water of life, flowing undisturbed, clear as crystal. Where does it come from? Proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now look what it says next. And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life that's brought back.
Man, it's fixed up. It's the day of God coming in and everything fixed up just right. And the tree of life there, What a wonderful God, what a tree of life. In the 53rd of Isaiah, He says he shall grow up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of the dry ground. And so well now that tree of life has borne its fruit here in this world, in spite of the fact of the dry ground of Israel or this world.
01:15:29
The Blessed Lord has borne that fruit, the tree of it says, Borne 12 Manner of fruits and the.
The.
But the man didn't want that man. The flesh doesn't want Christ. He doesn't want anything of God and Christ.
And so God man didn't want that tree of life, so God transplanted it.
This world to the heavenly paradise, and there it flourishes and bears all its precious fruits. And you and I can enjoy that fruit. We you and I, by grace we can enjoy that fruit down here, as we're going to enjoy it forever up there. And what is that fruit? But my soul? Has thou not tasted of the tree of life?
On high and through barren lands of Hasted Esko's grapes, but never nigh.
Yes, that tree of life is planted.
Sweetest fruit in here is born to its own rich soil. Transplanted, it waits alone, the eternal born. When we're going up there and we can walk down the street of life, walk down the street of gold and help ourselves, there be no flaming sword to no prohibition up there. We can help ourselves. We can have all we want and walk down the street of gold with him. How wonderful, Yeah.
He acts.
To first bring out the truth. The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. Before he begins to work with the woman's conscience, he presents the goodness of God to her. He draws out her heart to himself, and the moment, when he starts, as it were, directly to speak to her conscience, is when she says to him, Sir, give me that is, she has been drawn by the goodness of God.
In this person to recognize the thirst that was in her own soul, which she wasn't perhaps fully aware of. And then she says, Sir, give me And so many times in wisdom it's right to present the heart of God to the soul, to draw out that heart toward himself. And then the absolute necessity has to come in, The conscience has to be reached. And in the case of this woman.
Part of it was the recognition, she says. He says to her, you've had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband. What was she doing? She was trying to satisfy the thirst of her soul. It's not just a thirst that had to do with a well of water, but the Lord looks and meets the need, which is deeper. And she was attempting with what she could naturally to satisfy the thirst of the soul. And it's unsatisfiable in sin.
And yet the conscience has to be reached in that way. And it's what, as it were, awakens her to this person and what he had to give her. And when the conscience is fully reached and the heart has been won, then the soul comes out into the light. And she was willing to go tell people she wasn't hiding her sin. They knew it. And yet she was willing to go to the very people who knew her reputation.
And say, come see a man. That's a wonderful thing. When the soul is brought to that point where, as it were in the presence of the Lord, they're comfortable to acknowledge their need and ready to speak about it with himself and others.
Bert said. Sometimes.
Let conscience be your guide.
It's not enough.
Conscience needs to be guided. The woman had a conscience, but the word of God was what guided her. She had the Word in front of her, and he told her all things ever she did with every one of us. The conscience bothers us. What are we going to do? Go to the word of God and be guided by the Word of God?
Conscience is knowledge of good and evil. That was the tree that was prohibited in the garden, and as has been brought out when they ate of that tree they had.
Conscience. So that's what conscience is, is the knowledge of good and evil. But it's like someone has said.
01:20:00
You need more than conscience. Somebody has given the illustration that conscience is like a pair of good eyes. I can have good eyes, but if I'm in a dark room, I can open my eyes. There's no problem with my eyes. What I lack is light. And so the Lord Jesus was the light of this world. And it's beautiful how he deals with this woman in a way. He doesn't condemn her manner of living. He just brings it out into the light where she can realize.
How wrong her way of living is, I think that's so beautiful, brethren, in our dealing with souls.
So often we drive them away. But that wasn't the case with the Lord Jesus, he said, go call your husband and come here, she says, I have no husband. That was kind of like you'd say 1/2 truth. But he said, Thou hast well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands. And he whom thou now hast is not thy husband that says thou truly so he didn't really condemn her Lantern of living, he brought it out into the light.
Where her own conscience could realize that way she was living was not the right way of living. And that's the way we need to deal with souls, not do it in a condemning way, simply bring them out into the light where they themselves. Because conscience of every living soul brethren, is always, always gives testimony to the truth of God.
It doesn't sometimes. Somebody has said Man May.
Be an infidel or an atheist in his mind. But his conscience is always there to give testimony to the truth of God. Let the light shine. The person's conscience will tell them that. That's right. That's all we have to do, and that's the way it was with the Lord Jesus of this woman.
With souls too, we need to bring before them. First of all, that they have a need. But I enjoyed what Brother Dawn said, because it's more than just their realization that they have a need, but it's also the realization that they have no power within themselves to satisfy or remedy that need. And the woman had to learn these two things. She had to learn, first of all, that she had a need, but I believe she knew that already. She knew if you'd asked her when she came to that well, if she was thirsty, she would have no doubt recognized that she was thirsty, but she felt there was something she could do by drawing the water from this well.
To satisfy her thirst.
And so it's been brought out, and I don't want to belabor it, but just to show she had to learn that not only did she have a thirst, but there was nothing she could do to satisfy that thirst apart from taking a drink of that living water that the Lord Jesus was offering. And every one of us here who know the Lord Jesus is our Savior, we had to come to the realization of those two things. Not only that we were sinners in need, Not only that we were thirsty, had a spiritual thirst, but we had to learn that we couldn't get rid of one sin or satisfy within ourselves that spirit, that that that thirst that we have.
And so I think it's good to bring this before souls. Of course, then we bring before them the remedy and the one who can satisfy the need. But they're not going to want the remedy. She wouldn't know. She'd never have taken asked for the water of life if she didn't realize that she had a thirst and that the well that was in the water the Lord was sitting on was never going to satisfy that thirst.
Things are dry 153.
01:25:10
All right.
Love.
John 4:13-27
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
All that thou hast, thou hast for me. All my fresh springs are hid in the in the I live while I confess I nothing AM yet all possess 193.
212.
Oh, from above.
Every.
00:05:52
We are.
The 4th chapter of John.
Certainly didn't get done with it.
Kept that portion about worship.
And many of the rest of it we can get.
John 413 Jesus answered and said, Under her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give, him shall never thirst. But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman says unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not either. Come, hit her to draw. Jesus saith unto her. Go.
Call thy husband, and come hit her. Woman answered, and said, I have no husband. Jesus said. Under her, thou is well said, I have no husband, for thou hast had five husbands. And he whom thou now hast not thy husband, And that saidst thou truly? Woman saith under her, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet, our fathers worshipped in this mountain. And ye say that in Jerusalem is a place that where men ought to worship, Jesus hath under her woman believe me, the hour cometh.
When ye shall neither in this mountain, or yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father, ye worship you know not what we know, what we worship. For salvation is of the Jews, but the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit and a that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh which is called Christ. When he has come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak under thee, And And upon this came his disciples, and marveled that he talked with the woman. Yet no man said, what seeketh thou, or why talketh thou with her? Woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, said to the men, Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master each But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not of. Therefore said the disciples, 1 To another, Hath any man brought him off to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye there are yet four months, And then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields.
For they are white already to harvest, and he to keep, he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathers fruit, and a life eternal that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that same true, one source, and another Reaper, I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and ye are entered into their laborers, and many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the same of the woman which testified. He told me all that ever I did.
00:10:27
So when this Americans were come unto him, they besought him that he would carry with them, and he abode there two days, and many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman. Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Now after two days he departed, thence went into Galilee.
We spoke yesterday concerning the divine life and our brother Buchanan made some comments and turned us to the end of Revelation. And I'd just like to mention before we get into our portion that when we speak of the divine life that we possess, that that new life that has been given to us. As we often comment, it's the very life of Christ. But there's two things, brethren, we need to keep in mind in connection with the Divine life, though. It's the very life of Christ first of all.
It's that the the divine life, the new nature, has no power of itself. The power for the new life is the spirit of God. It's sometimes been illustrated this way. You might have in your vehicle outside here the best engine that GM or Chrysler or whatever make can provide. You might have the best engine on the market, but if you go out and turn the key and there's no gas in that engine, you're not going to get a spark. It's not going to turn over, and so you put gasoline in.
It's unseen. You don't see that gasoline. It goes into the engine, but it's the power that makes that engine run. And so we have the very life of Christ. And John's ministry brings that out very clearly because John's ministry brings out the family, and we have that divine life, but we also have the Spirit of God as the power for that life, so that we can walk in newness of life and we can walk through this world, no matter how dark the day for God's glory.
But the other thing, and this is what was particularly I particularly wanted to mention in bringing this up, is that that life is also a dependent life, and God has provided everything for the sustenance and refreshment of that life for time and for eternity. And John's gospel certainly brings out the resource that we have. We have this well of water, we have the bread that came down from heaven a little later on in this gospel, and we find that when we get to glory, the life that we possess now.
Is no different than the life we have here, and I think it's good to keep that before our souls. Let me repeat that. When we get to glory, the life that we will have there is no different than the life we possess now. Now it's true that the hindrances are going to be removed in that day. No distractions. The flesh is gone forever. We're there with glorified bodies and so on. But I point that out because in the verses that our brother Clem brought before us yesterday in Revelation.
There are two things provided for the eternal Son, eternal sustainment of the new life. There's. In fact. Let's go back to it just for a moment. I think it would be good to just read it again.
In Revelation 22.
And verse one. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lamb in the midst of the street of it. And on either side of the river was there a tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruit, and yielded her fruit every month. And the leaves of the trees were for the healing of the nations. And so we find two things brought before us, that which will refresh our souls for all eternity, and that which will feed us for all for all eternity.
The water of the water of life here and the tree that bears 12 manner of fruit. In other words, brethren, when we get home, everything is going to be provided for our eternal joy and satisfaction. Everything is going to be provided to sustain that new life.
And what a day that's going to be. But doesn't it rejoice our souls at the beginning of a reading meeting like this, to know that we have everything provided now we have refreshment and food for our souls from this blessed book ministered to us in the power of the Spirit? And let's see, as this hour proceeds, to drink in that which he has for us in verse 15, where our chapter we started, the woman said, Sir, give me this water.
00:15:15
She didn't say, Lord, she said, Sir, give me this water. It shows she didn't understand what he had just told her, she says. So I don't have to come to this well and draw anymore. She was thinking of natural water, so she wasn't ready to receive the water of life.
And so the Lord had to do a little more work in the 16th verse he said go and come. But there's something in the middle. Bring thy husband, call thy husband. That is working on her conscience. Jesus is light and you know the light works on the conscience. His word works on the conscience. It's sharper than any two edged sword. It cuts both ways. And so when he said go and come.
But bring thy husband. Call him and bring him. Then she had to confess her condition. And now she's ready in that beautiful she confessed. I'm living in adultery or fornication. I have no husband. And he said, Thou has said, well, I have no husband. Then he revealed himself to her. He knew all about her. He knows all about you and me.
He knows how many hairs are on our head, but he has the mall counted and numbered.
Isn't that astounding? When a Barber pulls out a haircut in my hair, I tell him that's all right. They're all numbered. He's now re numbered them. Don't worry about that air. You know God knows everything. He knows the thoughts in your heart before they come into your mind. This is mind boggling, but I'm so glad it's true. He knows all about me and he knows all about you. He knows all about this woman. But he had something in mind.
And I'll proceed just a little ahead to tell you why.
When the disciples returned, they passed her, going back to psych art. That's interesting, isn't it? And they saw what kind of a woman she was. She couldn't hide it by her dress, her face and all. But she had a new life, pretty near anyway, And she went back. When she testified, it was clear. But when they saw her, they said to the Lord Jesus, why would you talk with her?
The disciples seldom knew what the Lord was doing or why.
Until the spirit of God at Pentecost indwelt them. But when they were with them, they seldom knew. They rebuked the mothers that brought their children. Wouldn't that be awful if we rebuked the mothers for bringing their children? But they did. They did. And that's the only time you hear these three words about Jesus. He was forwards, much displeased with his disciples. Well, but they came and they saw that woman and they said, why talk us out with her 1St 20?
Seven and in 29? Well then later, they said.
Wait a minute.
White talkers, Oh, what seeketh thou verse 27? And why talketh thou with her? They didn't say it openly to him, but they were thinking this, and he knows their thoughts. And you know what seeketh thou? You know what he was seeking. He was seeking one for himself that would be his companion for all eternity.
He wanted her as his own child in that beautiful what did he seek with that woman? But then the other question why talkest thou with her? He was going to use her to do what his disciples should have done when they went to Saikar. They should have told everyone there. The Christ is out there at Jacob's will. But they kept quiet. They just got food for their own stomachs. Isn't that sad?
Let's not keep quiet, brethren. He didn't leave us here when he saved us. He sent us just like he sent this woman. And you know, it's interesting. This woman gave one of the highest truths anyone could give, and she was a Samaritan. Don't forget that she was a Samaritan. And he used one other woman, Mary of Magdalene, possessed of seven demons, before he cleansed her.
And what did Message did she give the disciples?
The Lord said, I go to my God and your God. I go to my father. And your father is not a message. He didn't use the disciples for those messages. He used those women, and they were not the finest in society.
00:20:16
And we can.
Say to every believer.
When the Lord comes.
You're not going to get a new life, you're going to get a new body. And it's so comforting to know that. And let's read a couple of verses in the 11Th chapter where Jesus was on the way to raise Lazarus that expressed that, you know, brother, we're looking for the Lord today, aren't we? Well, there's two classes of people that you get a change. And in the 11Th chapter of John as he's going there, he says.
In verse 25.
To Martha, he's talking.
I am the resurrection and the life.
He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. That person that's dead, all of them, from able down to the last one of the believers, is going to need resurrection for the body.
And then he goes on and comforts us by saying whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die, that I'm one of them. So far. Isn't that comforting? We're going to get a new body. It's in the bodies that we've grown. We get the life by believing. John 316 What do you think about that clam?
I was thinking that how wonderful it is that we have this picture here in in the in the word of God.
They, you know, we have pictures and we try and keep them for a long time and they do last. Some of them do. But here is just how much it we would miss if we didn't have this story of the Lord at psych arms. Well, there have been those who have sought to cut out different parts of the scriptures and even some of this blessed gospel here they cut out part of John. How much we would miss.
If we didn't have this story, we can sit there, as it were, by the Spirit, as it were, there and along with the Lord there at Sankar as well, and hear his words and how much came out of that, there was a story told, if you'll forgive me for saying, years ago in England there was a meeting, something like this, and.
They couldn't. I think it was at the breaking of bread and they couldn't. There was much put on the altar, not prayers and hymns, and but I couldn't seem to get off the ground.
And there was a long pause. There were long pauses. And then.
A brother, simple brother, whose voice was seldom ever heard over there in the corner. He got up and he said well.
Brother and he said the Lord Jesus was alone.
The loneliest man that ever taught this earth. He was alone in this world. He was alone on the cross.
But he won't be alone in the glory. He won't be alone in the glory. And here he was sitting there at Psychar as well. And so he put those two pictures together. What we have here, we've been how much have come out of that little scene there at Sight Car as well, how much we have to thank him for.
This is penetrated with the words of the Lord Jesus has gone into the very highest, the very highest truth. How wonderful.
13 and 14 brother, I don't want to go back too much, but I don't know that what he said a whole lot about verse 14 that seems to be a real key to this chapter that it's such a beautiful thing to understand about this.
Water that he gives not only does the water that he gives.
Satisfy the thirst of the soul and it puts it. I think it was brought out yesterday in another portion that this is really a double negative shall never, never thirst or I think Mr. Darby says, never thirst forever.
Every one of us has a heart that is thirsty for God and cannot find satisfaction in anything else in this world.
And this world has a lot of wells and young people.
00:25:03
I often see, and I have to say, I've tried some of those wells myself, and have had to come to the conclusion that the Lord Jesus states in verse 13 He that drinketh of this well shall thirst again, and that's the way it is. But then the Lord says he that drinketh of the water that I shall give him.
Shall never thirst forever.
But that's not all. The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water. It's a springing well, what we would call an artesian well. And the direction here in this, in this verse is up springing up into everlasting life, because he's introducing in this chapter the subject of worship. And so the flow of the water is up towards God. And Jim read yesterday in the 7th chapter.
About that living water too. And there it is. It flows out. And that's more in the sense of testimony and blessing and ministry to others, whether it be in the gospel or in ministry to the Lords people. But they're the two things that the spirit of God produces in the life of a believer. First of all, it's worship. So there's not only that it that water satisfies the thirst of our hearts forever.
Oh, nothing else in this poor world can satisfy this heart of mine but Jesus himself.
It says in Psalm 107 he satisfies that wonderful to get a hold of dear young people. Listen to this. He satisfies the hungry soul and fills the the hungry soul with goodness. He satisfies so not only is the thirst satisfied.
But that the Holy Spirit of God, which is the living water in US, springs up into everlasting life. There's a continual source of refreshment in the life of a believer, and I like to think of it in the Old Testament, the pictures we get.
In Exodus, when the children of Israel went out into the desert to satisfy that thirst, Moses was instructed to take his rod and strike the rock. It tells us that rock was Christ through the judgment of God on the Lord Jesus at Calvary.
The blessing flows, the water flows, but if you go on in the history of the children of Israel in the desert.
Over in numbers, you find that that water had stopped flowing and what had happened was the people were murmuring.
Sin stops the flow. It's what it says in the New Testament. Quench. Not the Spirit. It quenches the flow of the spirit. And Moses was told in that time to take Aaron's rod. The rod, he said it was told him.
And to speak to the rock, Moses made a mistake.
And he took his rod, the rod of judgment, and smoked the rock twice. God was gracious and gave water in spite of Moses mistake. But I just want to say this to young people. Sometimes in our lives we find that our hearts again are thirsty. We're believers now, but because of sin that has been allowed in our lives, the flow of that water that refreshes has been stifled.
And what we need to do is to go speak to the rock, go to the Lord, tell them about your sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgiveness our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And then the water will flow again. It's important, but this is what God has provided for our souls. If you see me going after things in this world to satisfy this heart of mine.
You can say there's somebody that has not learned that the wells of water in this world do not satisfy Brethren he satisfies. He really does. I had a question about the water. We know that in the 7th chapter.
Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, is it not? But also in John's Gospel, is it not true that water is a symbol of the Word of God?
00:30:07
By speaking in John 3, where the Lord spoke of how that except the man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Is that not the word of God symbolized by water? Well, would it be correct to say then here in verse 14 that the two are maybe put together So that what?
Creates that well of water springing up into everlasting life, is it not?
The word of God made good to our souls by the Spirit of God that leads us into the enjoyment of divine truth. And I think of how Jeremiah could say that thy words were found. I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart. Well, how wonderful is that we, each believer, has.
Not only the Spirit of God, but the Word of God. And these two things will never fail. Although, as has been pointed out, sometimes we do allow things in our lives to hinder and to quench the Spirit and grieve the Spirit, and we're not in the enjoyment and the refreshment of those things that we might otherwise enjoy.
So that we think in a simple way that the water when it gets in US has two results. And we find that our God is a jealous God and he wants the 1St place and he's going to get it. So the principles that Bob was telling us about don't change. They're in the law. The first two commandments were Godler. After that it begins with manner. And so here.
This water of well, spring, well of water springing up. He follows it with worship, worship. But then there's something for man, and there's a principle of that. We might look at Luke chapter six that picks up under the old Mosaic law as to keeping Sabbath.
And I can't say much about that, but.
It's rather remarkable.
Outrage in the first verse of Luke 6.
It came to pass on the second Sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn peels, and his disciples plucked the ears of corn and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. Now the Pharisees.
They didn't like that certain of the Pharisees said unto him unto them, Why do ye that which is not lovable to do on the Sabbath days?
He's just answering them, said. Have he not read so much as this What David did when himself wasn't hungered and they that were with him, how he went into the House of God and did take and eat the showbread and gave to them that were with him.
Which it is not lawful to eat, but for the priests alone, that the Lord provides for a change here, and He definitely says it's a second Sabbath, the first one. They had kept the first part of it and given God His part.
So now we come to the time in our generation, at least when everyone is a priest and go in there and partake. But it would remind us that our highest privilege is worship. Our highest privilege is worship. So let's attend to what God asked us to do, and then from that place go forth with what is Mandarin.
In connection with what you've said and with what Bob said earlier to go to second first Peter chapter 2. Because there we have the two things and again they're brought out in the in the proper order as God always brings things out in the proper order of course. But just notice in first Peter chapter 2 and verse five he says he also as living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood. Now notice this to OfferUp.
Hold a spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. The key here is up, as Bob was saying in John Four it's upward, it's God word. And so this is the first thing that's brought before us in connection with the priesthood of believers. We're priests to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices, and he wants those continually. That's what it tells us in the end of Hebrews. Where to OfferUp spiritual sacrifices? The fruit of our lips to God continually. He wants that ever from his people.
00:35:13
We're going to have the privilege tomorrow of collectively offering up those spiritual sacrifices. But then what about the other six days of the week? Individually, he wants that praise to flow upward to himself and brethren. We ought to be the happiest people on the face of the earth when we consider what he's done for us, what he is doing for us, and all that is ahead in that day of glory, The children of Israel. Their difficulty was they looked around and back, and if we look around and back, we're going to be discouraged. We're going to murmur and complain.
But when we look upward and onward, and when we're occupied with Christ, then there is going to be that upward flow. There's going to be that praise that he desires. But then in this chapter there's something else that I believe corresponds with John Chapter 7, which we've mentioned. Notice in verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should now notice this. This is the key show forth the praises of him.
Who have called you out of darkness into his marvelous light? So in the first one it was up, now it's it's 4th, it goes out to others and we ought to be exercised. If our praises are going up to him, then it we ought to show forth to others the praises of this blessed person that there would be refreshment and blessing for others. And if you just allow me to make one other comment connection with what Wally brought out, which I think was helpful. And I'm going to say this for the young people particularly because it helped me when I was a little younger, to see that when God uses a symbol in scripture such as water, which is what the symbol is before us, you have to look at the context to know.
What he's bringing out, Don't assume. Because water means one thing in one place, there is a picture of one thing in one place. It's always going to be a picture of that in another place. Water is used in different ways, just as trees and other things, things, symbols that are drawn from nature, are used in different ways. For instance, water is sometimes used as a figure of judgment. His voice was as the sound of many waters. The Lord Jesus went under those waters. All thy waves and thy billows have come over me.
They're in the context it's used as a think figure of judgment. We've been Speaking of it in the context of the Holy Spirit.
And what's helpful to notice in that regard is that usually when it's a well or a fountain or a spring, usually when it's running water, it's a type of the Holy Spirit. But then, as Wally said, sometimes water is used as a figure of the word of God, the washing of water by the word well, I only mention that to show that that we need, when we take up these symbols to read and to consider very carefully the context. And I say again, don't always assume it's going to mean the same thing.
In every place now in verse 18 where the Lord let the woman know he knew all about it, you know she was ready to listen and now he let her know he knows all about her. You know until you get into the presence of God, you're not ready to be saved. You have to be in the presence of God and admit your loss. She had to admit that now she was nothing in His presence. Then the 19 verse says.
She said I perceived thou art a prophet. She wasn't there yet. It's like the blind man you know in John 9 When they asked him who gave you thy sight, he said, A man, a man called Jesus, gave me my sight. He wasn't there yet. The next time. What did he say? Well, he said he is a prophet, just like this woman. You know, the Lord sent all prophets, but they they did his command. But anyway.
She, the blind man, said. He's a prophet. That's where she is.
The next time what do you say? Well, he was told he's the Son of God and then he said Lord and he worshipped him. That's the progress of a Sinner by the word of God. Don't forget Jesus is the word. That's why it says in the Psalms that God has magnified his word above all his name. Don't ever forget that Jesus is the word of God and now when it's the Holy Spirit.
An example? It's merely the Holy Spirit.
Using the word of God and bringing it to your soul. It's not a part. The Holy Spirit is never a part. From the word of God. I don't see how it could ever act apart from the word of God. That's Christ. And then of course God. Jesus brings out really what she needs. What did she do when she realized he was at least a prophet? She changed the subject. You know, when you get too close to God and you're not saved yet, you change the subject. You get that all the time when you have an interesting person and they're still lost, they say.
00:40:28
What about revelation? You know right away. Change the subject. What about the ********* over there and the Fuzzy Wuzzy in Australia? Well, I always say give me their name and address and they'll hear. Don't worry, I I know somebody right now. You are you saved. But anyway, she changed the subject. She said worship. We worship in this mountain. You say Jesus, that you're supposed to worship over there in Jerusalem now, which is right. That was the open door.
Beautiful 22 Ye worship, you know not what, That's religion. The Samaritans were just religious people. They were wrong. All religion is wrong except the one. Only one time in this word. You know, take care of widows and children, orphans. But otherwise religion is wrong. And so he said. You worship, you know not what. But the time has come. The hour is come.
Now this is what he wanted to this is what he was wanted to do with her. Why seeketh thou her? He was going to have her take the word of God. And it's such a high word. We could dwell hours on this. The hour has come. When Jesus was there, it's ready. But he had to die, and he had to arise, and he had to send down the Spirit of God, who is the interpreter. God is his own interpreter.
Of what he wrote. Men like to write what they think God meant when he wrote this book. We don't want that. We want what God meant when he wrote this book. And so the Spirit of God is our teacher, and that beautiful each one of us are indwelt by the teacher of this word. So he says the hours come and now he is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father.
Really. In spirits, all right, but in spirit and in truth.
For the Father seeketh such to worship him now, I would say it's by the Spirit and in truth it's in spirit too. I don't take that away, but it's only by the Spirit that you have truth. Many quote the word of God, many preach the word of God, but they do not have the Spirit, so they do not have the truth. The only way you have the truth by the Spirit of God, the teacher of the word.
I perceive that thou art a prophet. Well, ** *** hadn't didn't realize he hadn't been brought into the truth of as to his person, the deity of his person yet. But she felt that the word he had given her was the word of God. And this is what searched her out. It was the word of God. So she says. I perceived that thou art a prophet, and isn't that the office of a prophet? He gives the word of God for a given occasion, or a certain when there's a certain need, or by the spirit of God he's called to give a word.
That's a prophet. He does. And so she says, I proceed to order file. She felt that she was in the presence of one who had, who had the word of God. And so then she asked a question which was current amongst them. You say that in this mountain, in this mountain, you say that in Jerusalem is the place to worship, and so on. Well, the Lord goes on to show her that Samaritan worship is nothing.
But, and Jerusalem is going to be set aside. Jerusalem is going to be set aside. And so it was but neither in this mountain, or yet at Jerusalem. Hell, they worship the Father, and that takes He takes her up into the very highest, the very zenith, as it were, of all truth, the worship of the Father.
Bruce four that we ought to connect with this event.
It just fits beautifully. And the 4th of Hebrews and the 12Th verse. Now we've been talking about the word of God and that the word of God is a person in John as well as a written book. And this brings it out in the 12Th verse of Hebrews 4 for the word of God is quick.
00:45:00
It's living and powerful.
And sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the.
Soul and spirit.
And of the joints and marrow and is a deserter of the thoughts and intents of the heart. I think Jesus as the word standing before her knew what thoughts he could bring out of her and that's why she wanted to change, go up. Purposely knowing the thoughts and intents of her heart brought out the subject of worship.
And there he begins a wonderful instruction for this age. The word of God, which we still have, is living and powerful.
And it changes the thoughts and intents of our hearts when grace comes in and we see the Savior.
And learned that he is the living word as the book begins.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And here he takes up this woman and he brings out of her heart a subject that he was wanting to expound, not just for her, but for you and I. The time has come. We're not under the law. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. There's two requirements.
And God wants it. And don't.
I tell you, if the council, we get into a little intention councils of God's heart, we will want to give it to him and that's the highest privilege we have. Never, brethren, never.
Forget the Lord's request. We don't call the meeting usually a worship meeting, but it turns out that way. It's a remembrance meeting.
And when we think of the Lord in all the sorrows, the flood of water that went over him, all those thoughts, as we come to the Lord's table to break bread and remembrance of him, it produces worship.
The Word produces worship for God and then, as have been pointed out in first Peter 2 and then.
Hebrews 13 God's part first and that blessing for man. So then the 7th chapter, the water flows sideways. We have brethren all over the world, even though if they live up in the high Andes or the.
Pyrenees of the Himalayas, as we found in our report this morning from Bhutan.
That's still sideways, that's still on the earth. The word of God going out to those places and it's produced worshippers there and they're seeking others. Oh what a what a wonderful thing the word of God is and what it produces if we just get it inside of us. The Lord Jesus was bringing this woman into the light.
And it's interesting, in the light is where God is known. Because God is light, and to know him who he is and the appreciation of that is what worship really is. But at the same time he was bringing her into the light necessarily, it made her aware of her present condition of life.
And that is necessary in our lives. We live in a world and a culture.
Young people, I think it is important for us to understand where humanism.
Predominates the thinking of people and humanism is basically putting man at the center of his world.
And judging everything as to how it affects man.
But that is not the light of the Word of God. The light of the Word of God brings us into.
God's presence, and there it is totally different, the evaluations that you form. God is known in the light because God is light, and I'd like to read a verse in Ephesians that explains what light is.
These are basic things, but extremely important to get straight in our minds.
In these days that we live in, especially for our dear young people, but for us all brethren, because.
00:50:06
I have to confess, brethren, passing through the culture that we are, we are affected by its thinking.
And it rubs off on us more than we like to admit sometimes. Ephesians 5 and verse.
13 All things that are reproved are made manifest by the light. For whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Light is that which shows you what is sometimes. Give the illustration if we're in this room.
And all the lights are off. No ray of light in this room. I can hear things, but I only have to. I'm only guessing what might be here.
But when somebody flips on the light immediately, I understand there's so many people sitting in this room in a meeting. There's some that are men, there's some that are young people, there's some that are children. Everything is manifest in the light. And that's important for us to get to when we come into the presence of God, to realize that there is absolutely nothing you can hide in the presence of God. In fact, if you try to hide something in the presence of God, you only make yourself that much more conspicuous.
Because the light shows that you're trying to hide something. Don't do it. And I love the liberty of conscience that this woman comes into when she no longer defends or has to try to hide anything in her life. What does she do? She goes right back into the city and tells the men of that city some of which with which she had sinned with. Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?
Had he told her everything she'd ever done? No. But she realized that she was in the light and there was absolutely nothing she could do to hide anything any longer.
We have to come to that point, and our conscience is we're going to get blessing and all the blessedness. And if there's anybody here that's trying to hide something in their life that you know is shameful, get it out into the light. Don't try to hide it anymore. It's only hindering you in the enjoyment of what God wants to bring us into.
Because in the light, not only does it manifest the shame of our own lives, but it manifests who our God is, and that's worship.
The Lord had more in mind than this woman when they it says they didn't say, they didn't even say a word.
But they thought it. Why talk us thou with her? They thought it.
And you know your thought is known by God even before you have it in your mind, so.
The Lord knew what they were thinking, what was, why did he talk with her? You know, he didn't have that woman only in mind. When the Son of God acts as God or when the Son of God acts, it's always as God. I mean it's in a way we can't perceive. So he had in mind all of Sikar, not just this woman. He he, he wanted to save her so Cycar would get the word from her. And you know, many inside car believed on Jesus because of her word.
She's a babe in Christ. Think of that. And many believe because of her word, and many more believe because they went to see him and see if what she said was true. It's all right. Either way. They get saved. It doesn't matter if they're, you know, ones who have to see. But they saw Jesus and they heard him and they said, now we believe because we heard him, we heard him ourselves. You know, we have that privilege. He didn't save us just to let us sit around.
He saved us that wherever we are, whatever we do, we speak of him.
That's the only way these poor souls are going to get saved, you know, And we should we have a responsibility. So did she. The minute her eyes were open, even a little, she he sent her back in a way. You know, it's lovely. Come see a man. The man. Christ Jesus is not Disney Christ. How did she know the Messiah was coming?
God wants worshippers and worship is no doubt the result, but I think it's very important to see here.
That it's really worshippers the Father seeketh such to worship him. And Brother Buchanan mentioned earlier that we're not only to worship in spirit, but in truth. And I'd like to hear a little more about that. And perhaps I'll raise a question, because the Lord Jesus brings before her that it was no longer to be at a physical geographical spot. The Samaritans put a great deal of importance on Mount Gerizim. The Jews of course.
00:55:25
And rightly so. They worshipped at Jerusalem. That was the way that they had been instructed in the Old Testament. It was God's divine center. It was to be the exercise and joy of every true Israelite to come up to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem and worship. But he tells her here that these things are now set aside.
It's not to be at a geographical center. And so that being true, I'd like to raise this question and hear what our brethren have to say. If it is no longer a geographical center, is there still a center and if so, what is that center?
3 verses give the wonderful answer, I believe, and I'm so glad it's been brought out.
Here was assembly at Philippi where Paul had gone over there and found a few down by the seaside.
By the river in prayer where the water flowed and an assembly was formed.
He'd been put in prison there. Well, you know the story now he writes back to them and gives them what worship is.
Finally, my brethren, the last thing he wants to say here in this Philippians 3.
Rejoice in the Lord, the centers put before us right away. Rejoice in the Lord.
To write the same things to you.
To me indeed is not grievous. Evidently he said these things to them, but for you it is safe to have it written down in God's Word.
Then it gives 3 warnings. Beware of dogs.
Those unclean beasts that rip and tear. And I believe this is in what we might call religion. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Well, we had a good evil, that little epistle of Jude.
Evil workers then, beware of the conversation, And I think this is the Judaistic side of it, the Pharisee way of fixing up the old flesh. Beware of that. That's the strongest thing we have to beware of patching up this old flesh, making it suitable for God. God gave up on it, we just will give up on it too. Beware of the concession. Then he gives the true side of it. For we are the circumcision, or the people separated to God sanctified?
And they get three things that are necessary.
Which worship God in the Spirit. There's that in the Spirit and.
Rejoice in Christ Jesus again we have the person brought before us the joy of Christ Jesus, the King, the anointed 1, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Rejoice in him. And then there's one last thing that's very, very necessary. I have no confidence in the flesh, this whole flesh that's in us when we get saved, it's apartment to get.
The delighting in.
Itself thinking how far I've gotten into the truth. You can't have any confidence in the flesh. You can't have any confidence in the flesh. God will not have it. The end of all flesh has come before me, he said way back in the beginning of Genesis. But he's impatient. Gone ahead and tested these 6000 years and one test after another, and the result gets worse and worse at the end of the age, I think.
We're down at the end of another age. We had the results of that in Jude yesterday. Beware of these things.
Gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ can happily say and confidently say by the word of God, there is a place. Now. It's not geographic, It's a person. It's not a flock. It's not a flock, not a pole, a fold. They put the sheep in and they carousel it around, fence it in and take care of it.
But it's a plaque. It's those that are gathered unto his name with him in the midst. Matthew 1820. And you know that's the wonderful truth of Philadelphia. In Revelation 3. They have kept my word and not denied my name. He doesn't say not denied my name. First, if you keep the word of God, you'll never deny that name. That's the point. That's only two things he expects of us today.
01:00:26
To keep his word and not deny his name. Isn't that beautiful? Not a lot to ask, is it? Well then you'll be at the place. You'll be at the place you know. It says where two or three are gathered together by the Spirit under my name. There am I in the midst. Now in the midst is an expression, and when God uses an expression like a third day or anything else, I could use many. But in the midst begins in Genesis at the beginning of this book, and it ends in Revelation at the end of this book.
And it's over 24 times, very significantly throughout the book and a new so-called translation that's most popular in chrysanthemum has taken that phrase out everywhere.
It isn't. Any place in the midst is where Jesus Christ is. If you're gathered to His name, that is the place. And I'd like to just say one thing in Acts 17, because this is important. This is so important.
Acts 17 and.
Let's see.
I just started verse 24.
Acts 1724 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. The place is not a building. Let's get that right. A place to worship is not a building.
Neither is he worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things. He's not worshipped with our hands. We don't need an organ, We don't need instruments. He wants heart. HEART. That's worship. And if He's there and you know, we never see the Lord so clearly as we do tomorrow.
At the hour when he's in our midst, I mean, and the Spirit of God has liberty to feed us, Christ, we see Him most clearly. And if you see him clearly, what do you see? The Father. He that has seen me has seen the Father.
This is worship in the beautiful well I just mentioned.
Because sometimes we hear some who say, well, I can worship God by myself in my own home.
Two or three. And that means the lowest possible number. If they're gathered by the Spirit to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is in the midst and that will go up, and the ceiling can't stop it. The Spirit of God takes it to the Father, but if they're not gathered unto him and he is not in the midst, it doesn't get any higher than the ceiling. I don't know how many thousand you have.
But two or three. And the Incas Bible. I haven't read it but Brother Smith told me when he was Eric Smith, when he was translating that into Inca, he had the chief and others helping him, but the one place they balked was Matthew 1820. He said, I, I I tried and tried and tried but what does it say in the Inca where 3 or even 2 are gathered together?
Under my name, there am I in the midst. They couldn't understand why God would let it go up. He went down to the smallest. That's the Inca Bible today, Smith said.
So that's enough for worship.
Worship too. I think it's important to see in the 9th chapter in the.
Case of the blind man when he was brought into the presence of the Lord Jesus.
He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshipped him. It's something that should flow continually from our hearts, brethren, every day. It is beautiful when it can be done collectively, and there is a police of collective worship as has been brought out, where the Lord Jesus is the center. And I think it is important when we speak of that brethren to make sure that we keep the focus of ourselves.
01:05:24
And on the Lord, sometimes it seems to me, what stumbles souls is that when we speak of the place.
Of his appointment. We focus in on ourselves. Our building has been said and.
Anything else but him will stumble souls. We need to be clear to keep the focus on the Lord Jesus, but worship is something that we can do at anytime. We go into the presence of God and present to God the excellencies of the person of the Lord Jesus. Worship is not so much offered for what he has done, It is offered for who he is in his own glorious person.
And when we get into the presence of God and think, who was that man who hung on that center cross? He was no normal person in this world. He was the everlasting God made flesh. He was the creator of the ends of the universe, the vast universe. And you go on and on as to the glories of his personal brethren. What does it do? Makes us feel how nothing we how we are nothing.
And how great he is and we worship him. That's the result.
A heart overflowing with an appreciation of what the person of Christ means to the heart of God. And so often on Lord's Day morning, as you say, we get occupied with our side of it, And that's true. There is the sin offering and the trespass offering and so on. And it's true that we've been brought into a wonderful place because of the work of Calvary, and God has reached out to us on that basis.
But, brethren, I really believe that true worship, as I say, springs from a heart overflowing with an appreciation of what the person of Christ is. Not to us, necessarily, although that will be the result. That appreciation will deepen. But it's an appreciation of what the person of Christ means to God, and that's really what we have in the burnt offering. And I suppose that's one reason why the burnt offering is given to us first in the book of Leviticus. It's God's portion first.
Brethren thoughts what he wants from your heart and mind. And in connection with Wally's question, something again for the young people that was helpful to me as a young person was to realize there are two lines of truth that run concurrently through the scripture, the individual side of things. And when you have that, then there's always a comparable truth concerning the collective side. Let me just give you one other example. The Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. That's individual.
What is the comparable truth in relationship to the collective side of things? Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it. But it all, brethren, has to be based on truth. If we find ourselves in the place where the Lord Jesus is, in the midst, where we can collectively express these things of which we have been speaking, it must be based on the word of God. And that's why the order in Acts chapter 2 and verse 42 is so very important again.
When God lists two or more things, the order is always important. He doesn't list things haphazardly and notice the order. There they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and brethren. That was the basis for everything else. The truth was the basis for fellowship, it was the basis for breaking bread, and it was the basis for prayer. Those are collective things, but they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and then in fellowship and breaking of bread and prayers. We can't stress that enough.
This chapter of John 4 takes us beyond something in a way that.
We never see before in the whole of the word of God. It is the fact that.
In Judaism.
Could not in itself produce worshippers according to the heart of God. And God had labored with man for thousands of years, and under Judaism for several thousand years, and had set up a system of.
Natural things that might produce something for God from the human heart. And so there was a beautiful temple, there were beautiful choir, There were many things.
01:10:12
To you might say, induce or encourage from the heart of man a worship which would satisfy the heart of God, and it could not do it. Judaism, man in the flesh, with every proper help, could not produce what's presented to our hearts in this chapter. And so God was seeking a true worshiper. He was seeking one that could.
And by the means given in this chapter, was able to satisfy his own heart In the matter of worship. Man is a creature with a spirit, and only man could ever have in that way the capacity to be a worshipper of God. An animal can't worship God. He doesn't have a spirit. He does not have that connection with God, his creator. He doesn't know him.
But worship as has already been brought out, God first reveals Himself, and the revelation of God isn't complete as to himself until the New Testament. And so even that in the Old Testament you don't have man able having the capacity to worship God as he wished, because God had not yet fully made himself known to his creature as He is.
But now he has come out in the person of his Son and fully revealed himself to us, his creature. And God now is looking from that creature, having revealed himself to him in the person of the Son, those who might be worshippers of himself. But how does God produce it? Now He takes the word of God, which gives us the revelation of Himself and of his Son, and they too are the only one.
Who are the objects of proper worship? The Father? The Son? No other is to be worshipped but God in the person of Father and Son. And it's done because the Holy Spirit of God takes the true truth of the revelation of themselves and works upon the human heart in the power of new life, because without that life.
Again, the natural man will not produce the worship that God is seeking.
And so he gives us the capacity of worship by giving us a life that is suited to himself.
And then by the Word takes the Spirit of God, working upon it to bring to the soul the the glory of themselves as revealed to us. And that spirit of God causes the human vessel to spring forth as a fountain that overflows. And as it overflows, it's the overflowing of that fountain toward God that satisfies his heart, because it's worship.
Earlier first chapter the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Moses could give a law, but grace and truth could only come to us in the person of God's beloved Son. And I understand that grace and truth.
Came by Jesus. That is grace and truth. I understand that there is one singular verb for them. They're never to be separate. They're inseparable. The grace and the truth are inseparable. So when we and when it comes to worship, then we have what we have learned of God in Christ. This is what we can OfferUp. This is what we offer up to God. And this is what God is great for everything which brings Christ before him. God is grateful for and thankful for grace and truth.
Came by Jesus Christ. The Lord says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me he's all. He's everything. And you can't separate the way from the truth, nor from the life. And they're all one in Christ. I am the way, the truth and the light. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.
To Luke and the 24th chapter along this line.
We're talking now about true worship. Don't forget the expression true worshipping in truth. And I do believe it's collective. But 51 of John 24 verse 51, it came to pass. While he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven, and they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem.
01:15:20
With great joy they were restored and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. I believe this was adoration. It certainly wasn't collective worship. The Spirit hadn't even come down yet. And you know, until Pentecost, there was no collective worship and they weren't individually worshipping. I believe you have adoration here, a homage to him.
Paying homage to him. We have that with blind Bartimaeus, the people all around paying homage to him. It says they worshipped, but they paid homage to him. They adored him for what he did to blind Bart. And they realized this was of God, you know? Now don't forget both Cain and Abel were worshippers and that brings this out man well worship because he's God conscious. That's what we were talking about with conscious.
He's God conscious and man well worship. Only Abel worshipped him according to God's word, God's way and Cain worship too but according to religion. Cain started religion. Satan picked it up in my as it groaned today. Religion, there's so much religion in this world. It's not worship. Now collective worship.
Is what God asks for. Now let's worship in truth and in the Spirit and truth. You can't have truth without the Spirit. And why did he say two or three?
Worship is collective. I know individually we ought to pay homage to Christ. Always. But I don't think I'm worshipping in the sense of true worship the Lord was bringing out to this woman. I may be wrong, but I'll leave that man worships all the time. You never see a cow bend a knee and worship, but man does. But doesn't mean it's true worship.
We have to be careful ourselves. What we may call worship may not be worship. Cain thought this was worship. He thought it was much more beautiful and acceptable than the blood that Abel used. But God said the blood.
True worship. If they gathered together to worship, I don't see how. Now, individually they can have armies and they can please the Lord individually if they're indwelled and saved, but that's not collective worship of God Speaking of.
Say in connection with worship in spirit too, sometimes young people.
Say that or ask why we don't use music in our services.
But music in itself is not spiritual. It stirs man's emotions greatly and.
It's something that is not wrong in itself, but is adapted for men in the flesh.
And.
It's part of natural sweetness. Perhaps we can say in the Old Testament, honey was forbidden in the sacrifices of God, and it's not something that's totally prohibited. Music isn't in the New Testament, but it's something that does not belong in the sacrifices of God.
Worship in spirit is what comes from the instrument of the heart and the lips.
That are mentioned in the New Testament. You don't have other instruments. Sometimes people say well.
There's harps mentioned in Revelation that you have to take Revelation as it is in figurative language. So there's no other instruments I find in the New Testament but the heart and the lips, and I think that is important to understand. It's what comes from the heart that has been won by the love of Christ, the heart that is occupied with the glorious person of the Lord Jesus. Whether individual or collective, what flows from that heart is.
Worship to God, and I think that's.
So beautiful to get ahold of.
01:20:02
Acts 17 And what you're saying now?
Verses 2425 and 26.
Acts 172425 and 26.
God that made the world in all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Neither is worshipped with man's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath in all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined.
The times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. I'd rather see here what you have to say it's so conclusive about.
Worship in a physical, human way, that is, instruments.
Instruments are played with hands, and in the age in which we live, God isn't desiring what we can do with our hands.
He does use the heart and the tongue. Those two parts of our body are used in worship, and I don't think the rest of the body is.
In your heart unto the Lord. And that's also why we don't have pre arrangement, isn't it? We worship in spirit. Maybe you can make a comment on that, but tomorrow there won't be any pre picked hymns or who's going to take part. I think it goes along with what Bob said in connection with worshipping in the spirit. Maybe we can have some help.
Go ahead.
And John's Gospel, the 10th chapter in the 31St verse.
Now we know did I say the 10th and 9th chapter 31? Now we know that God here is not sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God and doeth his will him he hear us so on.
Say it too in connection with the use of instruments, because it is such a big thing in Christian circles, so-called today. And people, when this is explained, react so defensively about it. It's not a matter of of defending, it's simply recognizing what God recognizes today as the as true worship in spirit and in truth.
An instrument in itself is not spiritual, they're.
Hymns that are played beautifully, played to stir your emotions, even that are played by unsaved people. Is that worship and spirit and truth? No, in itself it is not. But worship is the appreciation of who Christ is and who our God is, and the pouring out of the heart in connection with that. That's what worship is in spirit and in truth in.
Experiences in Latin America I sometimes contrast to experiences I had.
Because I think sometimes we're deceived by our ears. We think when there's beautiful music, oh, this is the atmosphere of worship. Remember one time with Columbia Cannon? We were in the Dominican Republic and in the home of a man who professed to be a believer. His name was Mario Obiel and he had a daughter, little 8 year old girl, and she could sing beautifully. I don't know if she was a believer. Her mother wasn't.
That she was contracted to sing on radio and TV and make records.
And Mario asked his little girl to come and sing to us.
No one ever cared for me like Jesus. And that little girl poured out that music out of her lips. I tell you it was something that really touched me in my heart to hear that beautiful music from her heart, her from her mouth flowing out. And yet I don't know if there was any response, God knows, from her heart as she sang that hymn.
The other person.
I remember is in the mountains of Peru.
An older brother who was in the first love of his faith in Christ. And as we visited him in his home, he picked up his hymn book and sat down beside me. And he said, brother, I want to sing, teach me to sing. And he opened up his hymn book, but he really didn't wait for me to teach him to sing. He sang. And I don't know what tune he is, but if you looked at his face it was flowing right out of his heart.
01:25:17
The first one pleased my ear. God knows if it pleased God's ear. But the second one wasn't too pleasing to my ear, but it was evident it was pleasing to God's ear. So let's not just go by mere sounds. Beautiful music is nice, but that's not necessarily what pleases God. Pleases God is worship in spirit and in truth. Verse 15 of Hebrews 13.
Several times today, and I just want to end up with one thought about it. This is worship, of course. Verse 15, Hebrews 13, by the way.
I'll leave that go by him. Therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. Now that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. With that thought, turn to Isaiah.
50 Isaiah 57 and verse 19.
This is the Lord speaking.
Isaiah 5719. I create the fruit of the lips. I create the fruit of the lips. How does he do that? Well, we could turn to Genesis, that we could turn to Psalm 22, and I'm not going to do it.
But we could also turn to Hebrews, where we are and look at Chapter 2. And this is the same as Psalm 22.
The verse I'm Speaking of chapter 2 and verse 12.
First of all, it's sort of nice to see an 11 at the end. He is not ashamed to call them brethren. He's not ashamed to call us brethren. Isn't that beautiful? 12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst that's taken out in a popular translation in the midst of the Church.
Well, I sing praise unto thee. Did you ever hear Jesus singing in the midst of our assembly when we break bread? I mean, did you? Yes, you did. He creates the fruit of our lips, brethren. That's what happens with collective worship. I'm in the midst and I, the Lord create the fruit of the lips. There. That's the way I sing praises unto God.
Isn't that beautiful? I don't think there's anything more beautiful on that 15th verse of the 13th of Hebrews. Maybe there is. But on that verse?
#150.
John 4:27-
Reading
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
With creatures such as we who when we saw these slighted, and they'll be to a tree, unfathomable wonder and mystery divine the voice that speaks in Thunder, says Sinner. I am thine.
#4
Their gold has built.
The world.
Beginning to break up.
And speak.
And mine.
Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not of. Therefore said the disciples, 1 to another Hath any man brought him, ought to eat? Jesus said unto them, Might need us to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye there are yet four months, And then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.
And he that reapeth receiveth wages.
And gather fruit under life eternal, that both he that soweth, and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true. 1 Soweth and another Reapeth, I sent you the reef that were on ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and ye entered into their laborers. Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him. For the saying of the woman which testified he told me all that ever I did so When the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them.
And he abode there two days, and many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman. Now we believe not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee, where Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
00:05:08
It's wonderful how God preserves his truth.
We find that things had sunk so low and even his own people gone into idolatry and worshipping idols and.
When God and His mercy preserves His truth, and we can see it even here in this.
In this poor woman who led a life of infamy. And yet where did she get that truth? She says, I know that when the science cometh, he will tell us all things. Well, now there was apparently her heart. Her was not. Her mind wasn't altogether closed so in darkness. And where did she get that truth? Well, she got her from the old, from the prophets of old. They were prophesied faithfully of the coming Messiah.
And that's and God and his mercy had along the way and preserved that truth, and we find it in other instances. The thread of the truth is kept alive, and this dear woman was brought into the richest blessing through that.
And every prophecy of the Old Testament was fulfilled perfectly and completely in Jesus. Isn't that a beautiful thought? Every sign they had in their scriptures was fulfilled by Him in His birth, his life, His death and resurrection. They had no question who the Messiah was. They had all the signs. And you know it's beautiful because.
This woman and all the Gentiles around and even everywhere knew that the Jews, the Israelites, were especially chosen and blessed and God was with them. It was wonderful. And they knew they had the word of God. Now what did Paul say in in Romans 3? I think it's verse three. What advantage did the Jews have then? All the Gentiles are being saved.
But his brother in the flesh were not getting saved so much. What advantage did they have? Paul answered it. Every advantage under them was committed. The oracles of God. What advantage do we have? We have the whole word of God. They just had the Old Testament, but they had every advantage. It all pointed to Jesus, who is of course the Messiah, the Christ of God.
And you know, when he spoke parables, he spoke the one parable about the sower. Well, no, not the sower, the Lord of the vineyard. And when he gave that whole parable about their killing some prophets and despising others, casting some out, and finally they killed the son of the Lord of the vineyard, they took account, it says, that he spoke this parable about them.
Were they responsible?
Did they know what they were doing? Of course. But God and Jesus in such grace, he said. Father, forgive them, They know not what they do.
He let himself be the 7th city of refuge.
Isn't that beautiful? Well.
They knew.
At the meetings here about God being light, and we've seen that light shining and this woman is.
Fine, so that all that she is has been discovered in the presence of this light. But I think it's very beautiful to look at that 28th or 29th verse. Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Well in in the 1St letter of John.
The first epistle that he writes, he first says God is light, and we've had that through this chapter.
But now, with this verse, we're seeing what he writes later. God is love, and it's that love that has been revealed that makes her willing to stand in the presence of one who knows all about her, and to invite others to come into that same presence. I would submit, brethren, that if any of us sitting here knew that there was an individual in this room, another individual who knew absolutely everything there was to know.
00:10:05
About you and about more about me, perhaps the last person we want to introduce anyone to would be that individual.
We would be very hesitant, naturally speaking, to bring anyone into the presence of someone who could say, I know every thought they've ever thought, I know everything they've ever done, I know every word they've ever said. I know all about them. We naturally would not want to bring another individual to meet such light. But God is love, and it's that absolute, divine, perfect love that not only the light has shown what we are.
But it's the love that makes us realize that this is one that we can draw.
To ourselves and that we feel so comfortable and so confident in that we can seek to draw others. So she says, come see a man that told me all that ever I did. That's more than those men even knew about her. They knew a lot about her. They knew about her life. But she says you don't know the half of what this one knows. Come and meet him, not get away from him. I don't want you to find anything more about me because the love had shown her that she had.
You might say a blessing now, an eternal blessing. The water that had so satisfied her that it didn't matter what others thought. It didn't matter what others said. It didn't matter what others knew.
The only one, the God of light, who really mattered and who really knew everything there was to know, had so satisfied her heart that she was comfortable, fully comfortable. Now in that divine and perfect love, brethren, that's what we are. That's what we can enjoy. And for the youngest to the oldest, here you and I have the joy, first of all, of realizing that the one who truly knows everything there is to know about us.
Loves us. You know, it doesn't say in John, in the first epistle of John, God is love. And then it says God is light. Because if it said that, I would say, oh, that's wonderful to know. God loves me. But I wonder if after he's found everything out there is to know about me, if he'll still love me. But instead it says God is light. And so it starts with the realization that this God knows all there is to know. There's not one thing that I can hide from him, nor would I. And beloved young people don't try to hide anything from him because the one that's all light, that knows all about you.
After he knows, and I say this just in terms of making this example, after he knows everything there is to know about you, then he says, I love you. What a wonderful comfort to know that that the one who knows all there is to know and nothing else can be known about me that God doesn't already know. He says, and I love you and that's why this woman said, oh come and see somebody who knows all there is to know about me. Is not this the Christ?
Height is.
And that it's a pleasant thing for the eyes to behold the sun.
Well, the light that exposes this has already been said. My sinfulness also.
Presents to me that wonderful Savior whose full and free salvation meets my every need. And the blood of Christ is that which cleans us from all sins, so.
We can in the light to enjoy that work that has been accomplished in our behalf. We know ourselves accepted in the beloved. Now we can say that light is sweet.
I've enjoyed two there in John, one where it speaks of how that.
Is full of grace and truth.
Somebody said that grace is love operating in the midst of evil.
And truth is light at work in the midst of evil.
God's desire was to have a people in the same glory with himself which would which would answer perfectly to all He is, and His Holiness and His nature, and in His love He This was the one of the desires of God the Father to have a people, and just like his own beloved Son, and so He sends them into this world.
In order to accomplish that work.
And the precious blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, every sin.
The Lord Jesus has gone back to heaven after shedding his precious blood there on the cross.
And for the believer, there isn't one sin left. There isn't one sin left. He's gone in there. And this is the this is the ground in which the Lord Jesus could bring, seek to bring this poor soul into into such blessing, into such blessing. He doesn't just know about us, but he knows about our future too. Because when he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, in those past eternal councils, he knew what I was going to be like. Not before, just before I was saved, but after I was saved.
00:15:37
And yet he loved me enough to send his son, the Lord Jesus, to die on Calvary's cross, to redeem me to himself. A person might go and adopt A child, and they might be given some record of that child's past, but those parents don't know about the future of that child. They don't know how that child is going to turn out. Maybe they look back and they're disappointed in that child in the end, and the end result after that child is raised. But think about it, brethren. He not only knew us, knew what we were like going to be like before we were saved.
But knew what we were going to be like after we were saved. He knew all about the ups and downs of my life, all about the discouragements, how cold I would be at times. And yet, as our brother dear has said, there's a day coming when he's going to view his family. There in perfection, in the in the Father's house. And so much did he find his delight in the sun, his well beloved son. That's just as if he said when I have a family in heaven, I want them all to be like my beloved son. So here he knew the past of this woman, but he knew her future too.
And he knows our future. And yet he could walk these many miles to meet this woman in her need, knowing all about what she had been and what she would be like. And the Lord Jesus came all the way to the cross for us, knowing what we were like by nature, and knowing what we would be like after we were saved. But he looks on to the future, when he'll have us all around himself, finally.
And he said. In the meanwhile his disciples prayed him master Eid, But he wouldn't eat. He wanted to teach them something. Here it's interesting. He didn't eat. He said, I have meat to eat. You don't know anything about this. They seldom entered into him what he was doing. Therefore, said the disciples, 1 to another, hath any man brought him ought to eat?
And then this beautiful 34th verse Jesus said unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and finished his work. John 19 It is finished. Wasn't that something? Now here he would need? But you know, in John 24, when he appeared to those women who were there at the sepulchre, and restored them, and appeared to the two on the way to Emmaus, and walked with them.
And then restored them. And then He came to His apostles and disciples in person after he was crucified and buried, and they wouldn't believe so. He said, have you any meat here to eat now? He wanted to eat. Isn't this beautiful, the Lord of glory that created the world? The one that could feed thousands, 5 thousands of men alone, not counting women and children, with nothing. But he did use those two loaves and fishes.
But he wanted something to eat. Why? It said he ate the fishes and the honeycomb before them. He wanted to show them he is not a spirit only he's a man. And there's going to be a man in glory for all eternity, brethren. That's why we can be there. There's a place for us. And so when he ate, it was only to prove to those poor apostles.
They wouldn't believe the women and wouldn't believe the two on the way to Emmaus, wouldn't believe himself when he appeared in their midst. So he said I'm going to eat in front of you. They thought he was a vision.
Even though vision, he's not vision for us when we see him tomorrow, he's real, so it's interesting he wouldn't eat here.
I would like to make a comment about verse 30 just a little.
Seems to me very important principle, but a little principle there.
The woman says come see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this is Christ, They went out of the city and came onto him.
00:20:06
We have a wonderful privilege, brethren, if we're those of us who know the Lord Jesus as Savior and realize that this God of light and God of love knows all about us and loves us to invite others to come to him. But sometimes the flesh gets in the way, and I don't set down any rules or anything about speaking to others.
But it's important, brethren, Isn't it in our ways, to attract.
Seek by the grace of God to attract the hearts of those that we're talking to, to the person of Christ.
Not so much what he's done in US or what he is, what rather what we were before we were saved. Sometimes there's a a tendency among believers to kind of try to gain the attention of others by going into a fairly long, detailed history of how terrible they were and how bad they were and so on. Well, there may be a place for that. And I say I'm not setting any rules or anything, but I think it's lovely. Here's a woman who had a pretty checkered history.
And if anyone could have pointed a finger at themselves to show how debase they had gone, no doubt this woman would be one that could do that. But she hasn't taken up with that. She just says come see a man, come see someone else. And we know that the thief on the cross did the same thing in a way, he said this man.
Hath done nothing amiss, so, brethren, it's wonderful if as we go through this life.
Whether it's our actions or our words can serve the intent of turning the view of those who need Christ as Savior to Him, not to us, but to turning them to Him. And so she didn't say anything about herself other than there was a man who knew all about her, and she invites them to come and it says they went out of the city and came on to him. No more expression of anything at this point that she was saying.
Just the simple acceptance of an invitation. If this person that we know has been so captured by this individual and is so demonstrating the love and the peace that she has, we've got to go see him. Perhaps here too, in connection with these disciples who really didn't enter into what was taking place, I felt rebuked, brother, and I was visiting an assembly some time ago.
And a sister was telling me of a young man who had been saved recently in that assembly, saved during a Lords Day evening Gospel meeting. And this sister said to me, she said, I know when this young man was saved, there was joy in the presence of the angels of God. But she said there seemed to be very little joy amongst the people of God in the assembly. I felt rebuked by that. And here these disciples, what was the meat that the Lord Jesus had that they knew not of?
The joy of seeing a soul brought into blessing, and he could rejoice. This was his meat, as the soul was brought into blessing and relationship with himself and the disciples. When they returned, what did they do? They marveled that he talked with the woman. They should have rejoiced that here was another soul brought to himself and brought into blessing and receiving the living water. But they they marveled that he talked with her. Then they were occupied with something temporal. Take a little meat, eat something.
And, brethren, let's be careful, and I can only say this to my own heart, but let's be careful that we're not so taken up with the temporal things of life that when a soul is saved or brought into blessing, we fail to enter in to the joy that heaven experiences, that God the Father experiences, that the Lord Jesus Christ experiences. When a soul is brought into blessing, does it rejoice our hearts when someone is saved? Or do we marvel that that person came to the gospel meeting and got saved, or that person read a gospel tract and got saved?
I think it's very sad note on the part of the disciples here, but I think it's perhaps recorded for your heart and mind as a warning that we need to enter into these things, enter into the thoughts and the heart of the Lord Jesus that we might partake in a small way of that meat and that joy that was his in seeing souls blessed.
Out between you and the Lord. Then you don't think about your past anymore.
You think about your future. It was all out with this woman. He didn't have to tell her all the things she did. She knew He knew it. And that's it. When you confess to the Lord, you don't have to name all your sins, but you'd better tell them. You know your loss. You can do nothing to undertake for one sin. And you know, there was a man in last century, you know, I got to say century. And before last century we're in the just starting a new century.
00:25:24
Billy Sunday, you've probably heard of him, a great evangelist. But Billy Sunday had a checkered life, like this woman before you were saved. And then he got on fire, and he was really a gospel preacher. But one day he had one of the biggest audience he ever had together. He mounted the pulpit. He had his Bible there ahead of him, and where he had it open to start preaching was a paper with all the list of the awful things he did.
On that paper, a list, an indictment, fornication, being tried by the court and put in prison and on and on. And he said I have a list here on my Bible. And so before I start, I'm going to read that list. So he read all those things that they charged him with. And he said, now I'm happy to tell you they're all true, but I'm happy to tell you also.
They're all washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus. And so he said there's only one thing that whoever wrote this list didn't know half of the things they could have put on. So he was a happy man that is out with the Lord. What's the difference about others accusing him? They're all gone. That's how one feels. This woman felt that way. Isn't that beautiful? She didn't mind facing those that no doubt scorned her before and tell him about the one at the Whale.
The book is that the focus is not any longer under herself, but on the one that knows everything about her, and that's Christianity, brethren. And that's what the light reveals more than what it reveals in US and what it reveals in him, who he is. And that's what is mentioned earlier, what we were talking about, Worship in truth is now in Christianity, the full revelation of God.
We have it in the person of the Lord Jesus and we can revel in that. And that's what makes us worshippers, is to know him in truth. And so it's as you say, yeah, she had a bad past, so do a lot of us. But that's not the point. That's all past. Now what's ahead is this glorious person to be occupied with him for all eternity and will never exhaust.
Knowing the fullness of the glory of this person, just to go back a minute, brethren, in verse 22 he says to the woman who is a Samaritan, You worship, you know not what, in other words, like.
Was mentioned earlier. She had something of divine truth, but it was not real clear. But Jews were the ones who had the revelation of God in the Old Testament, and so he says that there.
End of verse 22. Salvation is of the Jews. They had the revelation of who God was in the Old Testament, but it was not a complete revelation.
What we have in Christianity now is.
A complete revelation of all that God is. Isn't this wonderful to know God through one who is a real man? That man that walked through this world is God in every sense of the word. Oh, what a marvelous thing to have him before our souls.
She had known 5 husbands. She was living with a six. Here was the 7th. Here was the perfect man brethren, and he was the one that was going to satisfy her heart, her heart and our hearts to the more we get to know of him, the more we become worshippers like her.
That's that is really worship, isn't it? What God, the worship that God accepts is that we bring to God what we have learned of Christ. And this is God won't God won't accept anything else?
Only Christ. And it's what we've learned of Him. And this is what we learn as we go on day by day. What we've learned of him is what God will accept, and that's worship, and I believe, dear ones.
00:30:13
After our mornings meeting, I still believe that a poor soul, perhaps a dear child of God, might be way off in an island or out there in the middle of of Australia or someplace with no fellowship. But he loves the Lord and he can still worship the Lord. He's there all by himself. He doesn't have to be where he may not have the privilege of being meeting with two or three. Now that is worship, and we love to be there. But there are those who I believe worship the Lord.
And maybe they're they're they're just solitary souls. And as the Lord becoming a man, an Angel couldn't couldn't meet this, couldn't fell in this situation here, the Lord became a man. I remember dear Willie Martin, years ago, he was saying the Lord became a man.
He says. And he's going to be a man forever, he says. And we're going to enjoy him forever. We're going to enjoy him forever as a man.
Looking for you know, you turn to job chapter nine, Job Chapter 9. And he says if I wash myself it doesn't do any good, I'm dirty again. So in verse 32 he says, for he is not a man as I am who?
God, God is not a man as job that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any day's man or mediator. Same thing, day's man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both. So he wanted somebody that could put his hand in his hand and bring him together with God. And he knew it had to be a day's man.
And so you have that beautiful thought in Timothy chapter two of First Timothy, God our Savior. Isn't that a nice expression? God our Savior, who will of all men to be saved come into the knowledge of the truth? For there's only one God and one day's man 1 mediator between God and men. Who? The man Christ Jesus. Isn't that something? That's what Job was looking for.
And that's what everyone in this world needs. The day's man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. And everything's perfect timing with God, you know, for this world. But.
That's right. It's always due time every lost in it.
Brothers Deer mentioned that worship is.
That which we have learned of Christ and offering that, and I'd like to turn there seems to be a beautiful picture of that. It's well known, but let's turn to Genesis and I think there's a a very nice picture there of what worship is.
In In the Heart Genesis chapter.
45.
Now Joseph has made himself known to his brethren. You might say that he has acted on the principle of God is light. And what I mean by that is they have realized that what they had tried to conceal was all known, and it's all in the light, and Joseph knows all about it. But then after that he can come out to them and reveal himself in love too. And so he sends them back, now forgiven and blessed, and with this wonderful.
Blessing the wagons and all that he sends, but he says this to them.
In verse 13.
Genesis 45, verse 13. Ye shall tell my Father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen. Well, I just submit, brethren, for each of our hearts can we tell the Father of the glory that we have seen of the Lord Jesus, and that a wonderful thing to do, that we could daily be occupied each one of us. That we're not talking about gifts here, we're talking about heart, affection.
And each one of us, from the youngest here that knows the Lord Jesus as savior, to the oldest, we each one have that privilege. And I suggest we have what is couched in the Old Testament as a desire of the Lord's heart, that we might spend our day communicating with our Father, of what we have seen in the Lord Jesus, and of his preciousness to us. And and it says of all that you have seen.
00:35:19
That leaves it open, and some may see more and do than others. But whatever I've seen of Christ and his preciousness, I have a privilege, and I'd like to suggest at least a responsibility and love. A responsibility born of love, to tell the Father he that delights in his son, what I've seen and what I'm delighting in his son. And I would submit that that's at least.
In one aspect, worship. And it's worship that we individually as well as collectively, but that we individually can and I believe ought to offer to the Lord Jesus every single day of our lives.
In connection with the question of worship, read it 3 verses in Exodus chapter 20.
Of course this is the law of Moses, but it is in figure has something to teach us in connection. Worship is such a tremendous thing. And remember he seeks worshippers to worship him in spirit and in truth. And it's something that the young need to think about. You sit in meetings. It's not for the older brother only to express worship, it belongs to everyone who is.
A priest in the family of God to worship in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 24. Right at the end of the chapter an altar of earth shalt thou make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen. In all places where I record my name, I will come into thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shall not build it of hewn stone.
For if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it, neither shall thou go up by steps into mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Here they were to make their altar, and Alder speaks of worship. Brethren in Christianity, the Lord Jesus is the altar, He is the priest, he is the sacrifice, He is everything. But here in figure we see an altar and it's made of earth.
And I think what we learn here is that, brethren, it should flow naturally and way. The altar would be one time. If there's rain, it would wash off something.
It may not be another time, but it should be the free flow of the Spirit of God in your heart and mind.
No form should this altar be given. It could be build of stones that the stones had to be their natural shape. As soon as you lifted up a tool on it, you polluted it and so.
Worship is by the Spirit of God and how he leads. One may not be how he leads another. The thing is that it be the natural flow of your appreciation.
Of Christ the expression of it to God. And sometimes young people think that perhaps.
In a breaking of bread meeting, I have to get up and I can say it just like such and such. A brother may say it that's putting a tool on the stone and you pollute it. If you try to be something else than what it is in you. Your own appreciation. And I just want to encourage our younger brother and to take part in the breaking of bread, the expression of some small.
Appreciation in your own soul of what Christ is to God.
Doesn't have to be long. It just has to be something that comes naturally from your own heart. Let it be heard to God, express it. That's what we have here. Then in the last verse, it speaks about steps up to the altar and something, brethren that we need to remember is worship is for the exaltation of God and Christ. It is not for the exaltation of man.
00:40:04
And if we ever get the idea that some person is the one to go up the steps, that's where our nakedness may be discovered in our shame. The Lord keep us lowly, not going up by any steps no self man made.
Exaltation. The one to be exalted is our God.
At night, the fifth verse there that you brought up of chapter 20, Exodus.
The altar has to be all of God and none of man. The altar is not only for worship, but his sacrifice, and it's for an approach to God by his beings. You know Abraham had an altar, but it was also his approach to God to find out what God wanted and intended for him. The altar, for the Israelites, was to have their sins forgiven. They approached to God when they needed it. Always the blood.
But Abraham had no altar in Egypt. He had no altar. He had no approach to God at all. And so I think there's a very important principle that nothing of man for an altar, and therefore for true worship, it has to be nothing of man, all of God.
Somebody say something. That part of that 24th verse, in all places where I record my name, I will come unto thee and will bless thee.
Go ahead.
This same chapter that Bob's talking about.
Go ahead.
Well, it compares fairly well.
With Matthew 1820.
There always has to be separation doesn't go forth. Therefore unto him it's to a person. But there has to be a going forth. And I was thinking of it just an application in our chapter in John 4, because it tells us in the 30th verse they then they went out of the city and came unto him. There had to be a going out before they could enjoy the person of Christ. And the city sometimes in Scripture speaks to us of this world and its confusion.
Sometimes it speaks of the political world and its confusion. Sometimes it speaks of the religious world in its confusion. And so there had to be a separation going out of the city. But what was the wonderful result? They came to him, to a person, brethren, and this is the person to whom we are gathered. But if we're if there's not an exercise to separate from that which is evil, that which is not according to his word, then we can't enjoy his company and his presence.
But oh, what a joy it must have been to these souls to leave the city, to leave the place of confusion, and find themselves with the Lord Jesus in their very mids, gathered around him at this well, to hear what he had to say, and to be occupied with his person brother.
24th was really so significant for today, and I would turn to Deuteronomy 12. In Deuteronomy 12, seven times you have this expression.
But under the place verse 5 Which the Lord your God shall choose to put his name there even under his habitation shall ye see, and thither ye shall come.
Verse seven There ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to. And now verse 12 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to place his name to dwell there. Thither shall ye bring all that I command you, your burnt offerings, etcetera. 13 Same thing. 14 Same thing. You go on and on.
From Deuteronomy 12, even from 11, I think from 12 to 1621 Times you have that expression. You can't worship in any place you think, but.
Where I chose to place my name at there you worship. Now that is so beautiful. And I just mentioned one of the other things in chapter 12, verse 30. Take heed.
00:45:00
This is for all of us. Take heed that ye be not snared. Why?
By inquiring.
After their gods saying, how do these serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so, brethren. For us it says, thou shouldn't even ask how they do it. If you have the right thing according to the word of God, you don't need to know how all the religions in the United States are doing it. You don't have to inquire, he says. Don't even inquire.
I think the worst subject in any college or university is comparative religions.
We don't have to know what they're doing out there. We only know they're wrong.
What do you say to somebody? Said You people think you're the only ones that have the Lord in the midst of them.
I showed them the word of God, and I quoted.
That's the only answer. If I thought it was that I'd leave, we would never. We would never say that, though. The Lord knows he's the one that does the recording.
And say what I just said, but here it is in the word of God.
Expression in connection with Hezekiah. You remember when Hezekiah came to the throne, He came to the throne of Israel at a time when it was divided and other centers had been set up, and Israelites encouraged to go up and worship at other centers which were not owned of God. But when Hezekiah wrote those letters and invited the people of God to come up to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem and worship, which was indeed, as we've been mentioning, where God had placed His name and where he delighted to dwell with his people collectively.
And where it was to be the exercise and joy of every Israelite to come up to the House of the Lord at Jerusalem, there's an interesting expression in connection with those who did respond and come up. It says, And those that were there check it out sometime. And it says that several times of those people. And what about them? Those that were there, and they were the ones that got the blessing, not the ones that remained back in Israel and didn't make the trip up to the House of the Lord. They didn't receive the blessing. Oh, they might have had some appreciation of things in their souls.
As individuals, but collectively those that were there. And so tomorrow when we're gathered around the person of Christ to remember him in the way he has asked us to do, it's those that are there that are going to receive the blessing. Someone might say, well, I can pray, worship the Lord and remember the Lord in my heart anywhere. Well, that's true, and we don't want to take away from that. But there is a place, collectively, brethren, that he has appointed where we can be gathered around himself, and if we're exercised by the grace of God, and it's only the grace of God.
But if we're exercised by the grace of God to be there, then it can be said those that were there.
And will receive a blessing for it.
They are not the reference point, are they? It's Christ himself, blessed thing, to be there where He is. But I think it is important for us to accentuate what's the reference point? It's He himself. And to explain to those that perhaps inquire that the place that we speak about the Lord's table is a place that is large enough that there is a place there for every true believer.
It's not excluding true believers. Perhaps they can't be there for some purpose or for some reason, but there is a place there for every one of them. That's the meaning of large upper room. That's right. It's heavenly. That's big enough for all of us.
Chapter 7. I present this for any who can't quite believe what we've been talking about, that there is a place for collective gathering in the Church of God. That's wonderful, isn't it? And the only reason we say it's wonderful.
We have the privilege, and this is the word that I think should be used of announcing.
The truth of the one body, the Church of God, the Bride and that loaf we have tomorrow as is representing every blood bought St. in the whole world. It's not just a gathered Saints that would be wrong, that would be a sect, but it represents every born again, blood bought saved in the world. Now how do they know how they going to know of what we're saying is right? Well 17th verse of John 7 tells you.
00:50:09
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine. That's enough for me. You want to do the will of God, Will? It's spelled out in His word.
We spoke earlier, I believe it was in the last reading meeting, of the difference between the individual aspect of things and the collective aspect of things. And I think it's helpful in connection with what we've been Speaking of, the presence of the Lord to differentiate when you take up the scripture. There are scriptures that apply to the Lord being with us individually and the Lord being in the midst collectively. There's a vast difference between those two things.
And without turning to it, perhaps we could just in thought, go to the 24th of Luke. Because the Lord is with every individual believer wherever they are, wherever they gather for worship or reading of the word or prayer, the Lord is with every individual believer. Because he says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, brethren, let's not forget that I say again, He's with each individual believer, and perhaps you have the two expressions brought out in the 24th of Luke.
You remember the two as they were on their way to Emmaus. They were really acting in disobedience and discouragement, and they were going away. And it says there that Jesus himself drew near. Now notice the expression and went with them. Because even when we don't recognize or enjoy his presence because of something we've allowed in our lives, he never leaves us. And so they didn't realize who this person was. Nevertheless, he was with them as they turned and went to Emmaus.
And then we find it says as he talked with them. And then when they arrived at Emmaus, he went in and abode with them. And as he sat at the table with them, now it says, there he was known of them in the breaking of bread. But it's interesting that as soon as he was known of them in the breaking of bread, he vanished, because they ought not to have been at Emmaus. They should have been back at Jerusalem with the others. And so as soon as they recognize who he is, he vanishes from their sight.
Their hearts having burned within them, they rise up the same night and they return, and now the language changes.
Now they're back in the place of His appointment. Now they're back with the others thus gathered, and I think it's so precious. It's not that Jesus comes and stands with them. Jesus came and stood in the midst, but it was until they got back where they ought to have been in obedience, and with others who were acting in obedience to the word that they could say He was in the midst. He was with them in their home, in Emmaus, and along the way. But, brethren, isn't it beautiful that there's a place not only where He can be with us as individuals?
But he can be in the midst, collectively. You didn't mean the breaking of bread, did you? No. The Lord broke the bread. That's what happened. And they saw the nail prints in his hands. Brethren, that ought to touch everyone of us. It was not the breaking of bread we're going to do tomorrow. But they saw who he was. He didn't reveal himself until then. He talked with him, walked with him, but they didn't know who it was.
But when the Lord decides to reveal himself, it touched their hearts. Their hearts burned, their feet turned, and he left. And they went back where they should be, and he appeared in the midst. But that's a beautiful thing there, that that thought our brothers bringing out.
Thinking, though. Well, I'd better just leave it. Someone else can never them to go back, did he? But as soon as they recognized him, they knew immediately where they belonged. I think that's beautiful, brethren. What do souls that get away and get discouraged need all the time? They were on their way to Emmaus, their hearts burning. They were still going the wrong direction. He never says, hey, stop, go back.
No, he went all the way with him. He sat down there with him. I think it's so beautiful, the grace in which he deals with our souls when we do get discouraged. But what is it that they need? It is to see him and brethren, those that get away. Sometimes we scold them or something. What they need is to see him. And when they really get to see him, they know where they belong. You don't have to say a whole lot about it.
00:55:02
Now our brother mentioned the Lord indwells A believer and he never leaves you. I love that, don't you? But we've got to be careful by saying it's true worship, or it's even worship just because they're in a sect. He's there, that's true. But you know, I want to quote this verse again where two or three are gathered together under my name. There am I in the midst of them. Now I see it on big edifices which the Lord will not be worshipped in. He's not worshiped in temples made with men's hands. We just had it.
And I see there are signs out in front Matthew 1820, where two or three come together. I will be with them.
Brethren, that's not the truth. They may call it the word of God, but it's not the truth. You can only have the truth by the Spirit of God. It is true, but it's not the truth. And brethren, we want the truth. Now, why did I say it's true? But Jim said the Spirit of God is with them? In those places I had a lot of clients and Catholics and others that were saved.
And when they went to what they called worship, he was there in the beautiful. And I think they got something special when some verses were read. I used to be in that mess. And I remember after he got done, he says, thus reads the epistle for today. But you know, that was blessed to me to hear the word of God. It was always a different, abysmal and a few verses, but I was.
The Lord's then I wasn't saved but I had life and the spirit of God would make that good to my soul. But I wasn't worshiping and not true worship. At least I just feel there's a difference. Unless don't say He's everywhere they worship, therefore that isn't true. He may be there, he'll never leave one who's his, but if they don't leave the evil and I say what the Lord says.
There can't be really what the Lord has ordered.
I may be wrong, but I don't think so. I'd like to go back for something that's an event convicting in my own soul as I've sat here. That's a contrast between the disciples and the woman.
The disciples go into the city.
To buy meat.
And they come back, and they have something for the Lord, and they say to the Lord master, eat.
They bring the Lord that which they had purchased in the city, and they offer it to him.
By contrast, the woman, having been in the Lord's presence as the disciples, had been in the Lord's presence, and in fact they had been in the Lord's presence for days and weeks and months as they traveled with him. But she goes into the city, and she brings back souls.
Isn't that say something to our hearts, brethren? And the Spirit and the disciples, when they come back, they had something that they had bought to offer to the Lord. And they say, Lord Master eight, we have something for you. We're going to offer you something here. And yet they did not enter into the heart of the Lord. The very thing that they had to offer to the Lord from themselves and what they had purchased wasn't that which he could say, I have meat.
This is the meat that you give me? No, it was the woman that provided the meat. She herself really was the meat that he could eat of. And having done that, when she goes out into the city and comes back to himself, it's souls that she brings to the Lord. We have wonderful privileges of being in the presence of the Lord Jesus and sitting at his table, but in another sense of it, we have to go out from time to time into the city.
What do we bring back with us when we collectively enter into His presence?
Is it something we bought our own meat that we want to share with him? Or can I say is it come see a man? Do we draw souls to himself and guide them to himself so that when they come into his presence, it's the man they come to see?
01:00:00
Could we look again at?
At Pretty Well and I think it's that important. Of course it does say in verse 10 we have an altar.
Brethren, there is an altar of God today for an approach to God, and it's only by the blood and through his Son that's the approach to God. We have an altar now notice verse 12.
Rather verse 13 This is the place. Verse 13 of 13 of Hebrews, this is the verse of the place. Let us go forth therefore unto him.
There's 13 words in this verse and him is the center, the midst, without the camp bearing his reproach, where we could spend a lot of time what the camp is. But I just briefly say it's the religions of this world. In Christendom we have to leave that.
And so we go without the camp bearing his reproach. Brethren, there is a reproach. Some places we only see two or three, or we see a handful and a beggarly look, a little company. The the world says we got 3000, you got just three. The Lord doesn't care about that.
He doesn't. He's not concerned with numbers when it comes to worship. He's concerned with the heart and truth when it comes to worship that will exalt his Son always. Well, all right. The first thing is the place, The second thing is worship, and that would be verse 15 by him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Isaiah 5719. God created the Lord creates the fruit of the lips. Now the last thing.
Is doing good. The last thing is works. And it works are never excluded because we were saved under good works. Titus two last verse or next to last we were saved under good work brethren and so. But to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices that's part of worship. God is well pleased, that's why the basket.
Is passed right after the loaf and cup. First is himself and worship and then it's good works and you know that's there even after it. It would be wrong as some thought they should do it for convenience to put the box at the entrance so when they leave they can put their money and it doesn't make a lot of trouble, but that separates it from worship.
And it's part of worship brethren. Tomorrow when we have those baskets passed, that's part of it. It's verse 16 of Hebrews 13. Can we go back to our chapter 35th verse say not ye that are yet four months and then cometh harvest.
The old I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white, all ready to harvest. Well, now they.
The Lord sees those Samaritans coming to him, and he says, see, the fields are white under harvest. Is that what we have here? Is that our behavior done? Yes, I believe it is. I was thinking of that in connection with what Don had just brought out. And I suppose what you say, Brother Dawn, is what prompted the Lord to give this exhortation to the disciples, because He was seeking them to direct them to the need for souls away from the temporal things that they had brought out of the city.
And it really is ought to be a burden of our hearts, brethren. In the society in which we live, we're not taught to make sacrifices. This is the day when we're more concerned perhaps with what we can accumulate and the comforts of life than reaching out to souls. And I I look around sometimes at meetings like this, and I see so much potential. I see young brothers and sisters be exercised, and the Lord said, say not. There are yet four months we were taking this verse up in Greenville recently.
And it was mentioned that the average growing season for a crop more or less is about four months. And so the farmer, he goes out and he sews the crop and then perhaps he can sit back for a little while and say, well, there's four months till harvest, I've got a little time before the business of harvest strikes. The Lord said, don't say that, don't say there's time to sit back and enjoy the temporal things of life. He says, Look, look, the fields are white already to harvest.
01:05:10
Four months, as it were, our past. This is the time. The harvest is right. Go into the harvest. Pray the Lord of the harvest that he'll thrust forth laborers into the harvest brethren. Are we exercised about this? I don't mean that we all have to give up our secular employment in Gaut as missionaries or out in what we term the Lord's work but be exercised. Look around. Look out your front door. Look around the classroom. Look around the office. Look around the factory. Look around the neighborhood.
See souls, the fields are white already to be harvested. And let's turn away from the temporal things that so occupy us and get us bogged down in our own little circle and see these opportunities, these open doors. Let's redeem the time or buy up the opportunities, because water running into a pool and never running out makes the pool stagnant. And I'm glad when the Brethren are exercised to be at meetings like this. And we drink in the truth. I'm glad when Brethren are exercised to be at the assembly meetings at home.
When the young people are together for young people's meetings and the instruction of the word, it's all wonderful, it's all necessary. But I say again, if water only runs into a pool and there's no outlet, it makes the water stagnant. Let's be exercised. We spoke of that outflow earlier that we get in, in John Chapter 7. It's a very, very vital and necessary part of healthy Christianity. I agree with that. It's a very wonderful thing that we're all missionaries. You don't have to go to Sudan or to India or Africa, any place like that, to be a missionary.
You know, I think this country, United States, is a fertile mission field. I really do. They're all around your neighbor. While your teacher, your pupils that are fellow students, they need Christ, they're, they're ripe for harvest. And I would say this to everyone that's saved your mission field or the mission field begins where your yard ends. That's it. You don't have to take a long trip. And I also mentioned if you have children in your home.
Your mission field starts right in the home.
Increasingly.
Hedonistic culture in our country, leaving the true knowledge of God and going after other things. And it's shocking brethren to see what young people grow up with that don't have any exposure to Christianity and going into some of these youth detention homes.
I've been shocked 12/13/14 year old kids that have done just about everything there is to do bad and so many of them have no knowledge of who their real father is. I mean it's it's shocking. This is the culture we live in. Shouldn't the knowledge of God flow out? Think it is a real work that we need to be exercised about doing wherever we are and there is if we just ask the Lord to show us an Ave.
And open up the doors. The Lord can open up the doors to carry out the gospel.
Like to mention here in our chapter, verse 34, what the Lord Jesus says is such a beautiful thing, says my meat, is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work. God has a work to be done in this world and we can be instruments as well. The Lord Jesus, as has already been mentioned, had that work to do, but his purpose was not only to do it, but to finish it.
And when he comes to the 17th of John, he could say, I have finished the work thou gaveest me to do.
And then on the cross, he said, it is finished. Brethren, young people, when we get down to the end of our life, will there be any sense in our souls? The Lord gave me a work to do and I finished it. It should be the exercise of our hearts to do that. Paul could say I have finished my course. Maybe, perhaps not the same as what the Lord Jesus says here, but shouldn't we be exercised if the Lord has given us a work to do? And I say if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus.
There is a work the Lord has given you to do. And like Jim said, don't think that to serve the Lord you have to leave your secular employment to go out and preach the gospel. No, that idea has done tremendous damage to the Christian testimony. If you're in the office, if you're in employment to an earthly master, if you are a housewife.
01:10:24
In the kitchen you are serving the Lord in what you are doing. Do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men, and that makes a real testimony to souls. I want to say this, that traveling through South America lots of times I've found something that when I'm asked what do you do for a living?
If I say, well, I'm a missionary or I carry the word of God.
I can see people just kind of phase out as if here's somebody that doesn't live in the real world. But if it's a person who says I'm an accountant or I do business, I sell such and such a thing. I can see there they listen to that person because he lives in the real world. I prefer to say something else. They sell Bibles or something. But but when you.
Say your missionary. There's been such poor testimony on those that have, on the part of those that have taken the name of Christ publicly in our culture that people just tune out. That's it. Sorry, I'm not listening anymore. So be exercised wherever the Lord has placed you to serve the Lord right there.
He associated.
Others with him in the work. He chose 12 and sent them out two by two. Then he showed 70 and the Lord is is still sending out. He's still associating others with him in the blessed work of seeking lost souls and bringing them to Christ. And one was thinking you were speaking about where you he that reef has received wages.
And.
Gathereth fruit unto life eternal.
And he that Reapeth excuse me, and that both he that sought and he that Reapeth may rejoice together, well, there's there's a time coming when there's going to be a rewards.
And he It's easier to read than to sow. I believe it's. I believe it's. I believe it as a rule. Why? It's a lot easier to to reap.
Than it is to sow. But anyhow this is what the Lord brings before the disciples. And the time is coming when it says one soul and another reapeth. Well one thinks about Here is this poor woman there She seemed to know about Messiah. She says, I know when Messiah's coming he will tell us all things. But where did she learn from Messiah? Well, she from the words of those Old Testament prophets. Those Old Testament problems had been faithful.
And they had suffered, and for their for their faith, and for their trust in the Lord. And but they work that the Lord gave them to do, and the Word that He gave them to utter.
Has gone preserve that word, and this is where no doubt she learned of the Messiah and she says, I know that when Messiah comes he will teach us all things, but as to what a wonderful future there is for the for the sower and the Reaper.
And it won't be a part. The Lord won't be apart from it. How wonderful it will be. The sower and the Reaper and the Lord himself will be there, and no doubt the fruit will all be there too. What a day is coming for those that that seek to sow for the Lord today.
I want to ask you a question. I'm enjoying so much what you're saying.
Other men labored and he entered into their laborers. Can we then go back to those Old Testament prophets and writers and come right down through John the Baptist to the Lord himself? So we're in his work. It's his field.
01:15:03
And that's the origin of the work that we are set to.
The very in this chapter, the Lord uses the woman with himself as a sower and a Reaper as an object to the disciples who had been with the Lord and really were in that position to be sowing and reaping with the Lord. But they had gone into the city to buy meat, and that's what they bring back. And so the Lord uses this illustration to them, and He's really, in some sense, by teaching them.
Where's the example that he can teach them? It says verse 39. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman. No comment that they had anything to say when they went into the city to anybody. But it's the woman that with the Lord were sowing, as it were. And there's the reaping. And it says many believed on him for the saying of the woman. He told me all things that ever I did. And then verse 40.
The fruit starts to multiply. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them, and he abode with them there two days, and many more believed because of his own word. And so who who gets the, can I say, the greatest enjoyment that's going to come? The woman and the Lord together are going to rejoice eternally in these souls of the city of Sikar that came first by her testimony, and then?
By the others. And so, brethren, perhaps there's a word for us in it too. We are the followers of the Lord, and we are given this same privilege of bringing souls to himself. If we don't do it. The disciples didn't. In this particular instance, they'll still be the souls for himself, but the Lord may use a woman that is someone else than ourselves to fulfill his purposes.
Making sure that each one that the father has given him in the 17th chapter comes to him and is saved. But oh what joy there can be to enjoy as the woman did, bringing souls not to themselves, but to himself.
Everyone here, young or old, children or students or workers, men or women, doesn't matter. Turn to 1St Corinthians 12.
To encourage you along what's been brought out, your mission is laid out for you by God, so it says in verse 14 of First Corinthians 12.
For as the body is 1 and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also the Christ. Now notice this for by 1 Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been made to drink in the one Spirit. Now the last thought, verse 18.
But now hath God set set the members, every one of them, in the body as it has pleased Him? Don't look around and think you're going to find a better place to sow seed. The Lord placed you where you are as it pleased him. I think that's so beautiful. Makes it very special. Sometimes you're in a small meeting just because they need.
Your encouragement?
For the little Remnant testimony to go on till the Lord comes. Don't forget that's one of the most important things today.
Saving souls is wonderful, but if the Lord depended on the gathered Saints to save souls, we would be, of all people, most ashamed. He uses who we will, and there's many out there, evangelists not gathered, that are at least given forth the word of God, and God never lets it return. On the invoice, souls are being saved all around the world, and once saved, the spirit of God indwelt them.
And then they can be gathered, they can learn the truth after the spirit of God indwells them. But I just mentioned wherever you are is because you're set. You know set means God did it purposely. It wasn't haphazardly, but you're where you are as a child of God as it pleased the Lord. Let's just notice before we close a verse in or two in the third of Colossians, which I think helps to tie together what?
01:20:15
The last three or four who have made comments have been bringing before us, thinking of it, when Bob was talking about serving the Lord right where we are, and justice noticed in the 22nd verse of the third of Colossians. Servants, obey in all things your masters, according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.
Knowing that of the Lord, ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. The apostle Paul recognized here that he was writing to individuals in this assembly who may have been slaves or servants to ungodly masters. And they might have wondered, how can we serve the Lord? How can we be servants of the Lord? We've got to get up and go to work every day, and these tasks are just mundane, humdrum tasks that we have to perform out of a sense of duty.
But the apostle says to them, if you do that services unto the Lord, if you submit to your masters and do your work well, you're really serving the Lord. And the Lord can use that in testimony to your ungodly master, maybe even in the salvation of your of your employer or in the salvation of your coworkers. If you live Christ. And he said so much is it considered service that you're serving. It's true. You're serving your master, your employer, you're doing what he wants, but you're really serving the Lord.
And so he says, right where you are, in the shop for the school, Oregon, the the office, the factory, whatever it is you serve. And what's the result? Well, it's what our brother dear was bringing out. He says you'll get a reward for that. And so it says in Galatians, let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. He says, you can rejoice in fulfilling that little sphere, as Bob has brought out as a member of the body of Christ. And he says you'll get a rich reward, and perhaps we'll be surprised when we get to the judgment seat of Christ.
And everything is manifested and rewards are handed out. Perhaps the brother or sister who served the Lord quietly in their neighborhood or in their place of employment. Perhaps we'll get a greater reward than those who had a big public service.
The result of this stopover of the Lord at Samaria verified they came out and they asked him if he would come and stay with him, and he stayed for two days.
Hitherto He had told the disciples they were not to go into any of the cities or villages of the Samaritans. But how precious have we had yesterday that that the Lord is He's, the He's like Joseph is the His branches go over the wall and so.
He is asked to stay for this effect. He stayed for two days, and what blessing there was there, how could there be anything else if he was there? And later on we read about how Philip went up. Philip went up and from Jerusalem, and there was a great gathering in up there. Great gathering in up there at at Samaria. Philip the evangelist, How lovely. Well, this is the the Lord would bring everything to such an end.
It speaks here how that many more believed because of his own word. I believe in Christianity the word believe is synonymous with knowing because in the next verse they say we have heard him ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. You talk with people nowadays and they say, well you believe this and that, but you can't be sure but.
I believe for the Christian it is assurance that we have. I think of how Peter too could say in the 6th chapter that we believe in, are sure that thou art the Christ. It's wonderful to have that assurance.
Wonderful privilege. These poor Samaritans are proclaiming him for the first time in history, in the history of the world, that he is the savior, the savior of the world. Now, a Jew would never give him that recognition.
You wouldn't get that from a Jew. But these poor Samaritans, they say this is not this the savior of the world.
Oh, how blessed.
Our time is up.
01:25:13
Oh God of grace.
Our father.
We must.
My holy name.
We.
Will enjoy.
Our dreams may holy without blame.
God is Light and God is Love
Address—D. Nicolet
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Him #71 in the back of the book. Hymn #71 in the back of the book.
I'm going to read verse 3.
God is love. I surely know.
In the Savior's depth of woe, in the sinless, in God's sight, sin is justly.
Brought to light, I'd like to sing the 1St 3 verses.
Of hymn #71 in the back of the book.
Oh, my savior.
Sav.
Thy near thy cross would.
Hire by.
Gazing.
With.
Adoring.
Ah, my God.
Help me.
Jesus.
Frozen.
Cold to shame.
Tells the glory.
Of God's name.
Holy judgment.
That I found praised their horses in aloud.
God is.
Love my life, surely.
Outside.
Just.
We brought.
To life.
Ask God's blessing what I have on my heart, beloved brethren, is to.
Take up.
6 words.
Very, very well known. We could easily quote them, but we'll turn to them.
In first John.
Read those verses to begin with.
First John chapter one.
And verse.
5.
In the middle of the verse.
First John one verse 5, the middle of the verse.
God is light.
And you already, I'm sure, know the other one first. John, Chapter 4.
Verse 8 The end of the verse.
God is.
Love.
What I have on my heart is that our brother.
Beginning these meetings talked to us about the day in which we live, and brought to us the Book of Jude, characterizing the spirit of the day and the wonderful resources that we have available in a day of darkness and confusion, a day, just moments, no doubt, before the return of the Lord Jesus for us.
And I would like to close with the Lord's help by these simple reminders that we have, beloved brethren, these two things to guide and preserve us and encourage us.
In this world through which we pass, young and old, until he calls us home, that is an ever changing God. Who is light and who is love. We're currently, as we all know, going through a time perhaps that this country has never seen before of confusion. It's a vaunted and much admired political process.
00:05:13
Worn down and ground down to almost endless confusion.
And yet we find that in that very process of which man is so proud, and I would say, before I go any further, that I thank God that he has allowed us to live in a land where we can enjoy the relative blessings and liberty and peace that we have in this land. Nothing of what I'm saying is meant to criticize, but to simply deal with the facts. And those facts are that this very vaunted political process.
Of which men are so proud has clearly exhibited that man knows neither light.
Nor love. Nor does he practice. Or does he have a system that can practice light, true light, and true love. Depending on which particular side of the issue someone may find themselves, a list of reasons why that particular candidate is unjustly being held out of office is given as the truth, the light.
And then if you listen to the other side, you'll find that they have an equally long list of equally just reasons why their candidate should be the one who would justly be in office. There is no true light in the process. It depends on the relative position and thoughts and desires and intents of those that may be backing a particular individual.
And I think we have seen something that certainly we would not question.
But we've seen it played out very plainly. There is certainly not in this political process.
The word love. In existence there is bitterness, acrimony, anger, hatred, unhappiness, love. No man knows nothing in his political ways, in his social structure and fabric. Man knows nothing of light, and he knows nothing of love and the world morally beloved brethren, that you and I are walking in today.
Is a world that knows nothing more of light or love.
You and I have the wonderful privilege, and I would seek to bring it before us as a reminder that we might leave with real confidence today, should the Lord leave us here that long. To recognize that we, by the matchless sovereign grace of God, have access into and our recipients of the only true light and the only true love that has ever existed and ever will exist, the God that we know that we call ABBA Father.
Who sent his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world in a desire to have you and to have me forever with him in glory?
That God that we call Father is a God who is light and a God who is love.
And I say again what was mentioned the other day, it's been something my heart has been reveling in recently, and I want to be very careful and speak very carefully, but I think it's very, very precious, beloved brethren.
That God in his perfection did not say first that God is love. That's the standard by which the world today judges the worth of most anything. Is it love? Are you showing love? Is this a loving thing to do? It knows absolutely nothing about love. It's very concept of love is defiled and corrupt.
And yet it judges everything by that defiled and corrupt standard of love.
And were it to have said God is love in the first chapter and then in the 4th chapter were to have said God is life.
I say again.
That you and I would have been very, very happy with the first chapter and I believe very concerned by the time we got to the 4th chapter.
To say, could a God who says he loves me and I say this reverently, could a God who says he loves me after he knows all there is seeing he knows all there is to know about me?
He is a God of light. Could he still love me? But isn't it precious that it starts with the basis that the God that you and I know as our Savior, God as our Father? The basis starts with his being light, a light that is fully shown into our souls. Not one thing hidden. He knows all about us beloved young people. There's one thing one desire.
00:10:25
One burden, one care, one thought. One thing you have ever done, or I.
That is not fully known in the holy light of God.
And yet, knowing all that, I just revel in this. I wish I had words to somehow describe what it means to one's heart, knowing that he loves me.
Knowing that about you, he loves you.
And so you can't go beyond that, because if God loves me, it's the God who knew all about me.
Who loves me? And not only does he love me, he wants me to walk.
In this scene, until he calls us home, encouraged with our eyes, my eyes lifted up and I submit that I find it individually, often a very discouraging and fearful path. And I would have to say I would be one of the first ones to get a down and discouraged and fretful about all that's going on.
But the God of light?
Who is my God of love and your God of love?
That love not only has picked up this worthless Sinner and made me a child of God.
Fit for the glory of heaven, one that's a son of God in all the dignity and blessing and glory and wonder of that position.
But he is infinitely interested in everything that touches my heart and life as I walk through this world. That's the kind of love and the kind of God. Beloved brethren, we have to walk through this day when the Spirit of apostasy is flooding and we see things that are so horrible and painful in this land so blessed by God that it makes 1 shudder.
To see that which is going on and allowed and promoted and protected by the government.
But the God of light?
Is a God who so loves that there is not one thing about you that he already knows that he is not interested in.
And cares about.
You know, if you were to go down to Texas.
I guess it's Austin or where is it Nashville? I think those are the two headquarters of these political parties. And you were to go there and you were to try to confront the two men who are each hoping to become named the next president of the United States. And you were to tell them that you had a concern that you wanted to talk to them about.
The chances would be pretty close to nil that you'd ever get a hearing.
Right now, sitting where you are, beloved young person, do you have something on your heart? Do you have a concern?
You have free access if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior right now. You have free access into the God who created this universe, who already knows, because it's His. According to His plan, who will be named the what is it? The 43rd President of the United States.
He already knows that. He's already determined that.
And you have immediate right now access into His presence to take that thing that you think no one else is very interested in, that doesn't seem to be all that important, and take it right into His presence and know that a God of love is infinitely and intensely interested in what interests you. What concerns you, Beloved brethren, do we really walk with that sense in our hearts that those burdens and cares, some of them very heavy?
Those.
Desires some of them we might be rather.
I I don't say ashamed, but rather hesitant to mention to others thinking this isn't really a a very important thing. I even even my husband or my wife. Perhaps sometimes we might hesitate to share some little thing that we would like to do or to get even with good friends. We think, well they're a very good friend, but I suppose if I told them some of the things that I really would like to see happen, some of the things that I would.
00:15:18
Like for myself to find happen in my life, I'm not sure they would think so much of me as a friend anymore. They might wonder about me. Not so with God. Not so with God. A God who loved you enough to give his own beloved Son who loved me enough to.
Think of it.
To view that one.
Hanging on that cross.
His eternal, well beloved Son. And to look down into this world and see him there, mock people sitting around being entertained by his agony.
I submit to you that the God who did that, who gave that?
Is a God who is intensely interested in every detail of your life. God is light and God is love.
And we can walk with courage.
And I say that to myself first, because I suspect I'd be just about the least courageous of anyone in this room. But we can brethren in this day when we wonder what the Morrow holds, rightfully so, should we be left here?
We are beginning to wonder, even in this well ordered land that we have enjoyed for so long.
We are rightly beginning to wonder, what does the Morrow hold?
I submit to you that because we have a God of light and a God of love.
We can in confidence, face tomorrow.
You know, there's a song written not by those gathered. It's more of a modern song and I think it's fairly popular song. I really enjoy it. I don't know that it's it. Certainly it doesn't carry all the spiritual depth of some of the hymns that we enjoy singing. But it says because he lives, because he lives, I can face tomorrow. I love that song and it's true because the God of love.
The God of light and the God of love.
Cares about me because Christ is alive at the right hand of God. We have every reason to say we can face tomorrow should tomorrow come. And I say again what I enjoyed, Brother Tom Roach mentioned.
Forgive me, I'm sure others have heard this, but.
Some sister, evidently somewhere up in the Maritimes, dear sister in Christ, an elderly sister that he used to visit. I suppose she's gone home now to be with the Lord. But he said he would go there and they would talk about the Lord's coming. And you know how we speak about the Lord's coming? Perhaps he's coming today. We could expect him today. It might be today. And he always would say that she so encouraged him because she would say the Lord is coming. Probably today, probably today. Isn't that nice? So because he lives, I can face tomorrow, but the Lord's coming, probably today.
And so there may not be a tomorrow.
But if there is the same God of light and the same God of love.
That has ever existed, that in past eternity knew about you and knew about me, that chose us, That desires that we might live this life in full, happy blessing and joy that has.
Purposed that we might forever be with him in glory, that God unchanging will be there and unchanging in light and unchanging in love. Well, for just a few minutes, brethren, we won't go very long, but I would like to follow this theme because.
It was very much I feel before us in the 4th chapter of John, and it's something, as I said, I've been reveling in this thought of the God of light and a God of love.
And I have been enjoying following that through the Gospel of John, the way the God of light works and the way the God of love reveals himself. And I wouldn't even begin to suggest that I've even seen the slightest fraction of all of those beautiful instances that are presented there. But I would like you to come with me for a while, and let's take a little walk through the Gospel of John and let's look at the God of light and the God of love, and let's be encouraged. And when we look at this brethren, my exercise is to seek to apply these things.
00:20:25
Just simply to what we are facing today.
What we deal with today, and you will see many, many more. And as I say, I don't even begin to suggest that this is an inclusive thought. But let's start in the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
The Gospel of John, Chapter One.
These verses are so well known that.
We read them over and over again, but the preciousness of the Word of God is that when the darkness and the coldness gets wiped away from my heart, there's something fresh in those verses I've heard so many times.
John chapter one, verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus coming on to him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away.
The Sin of the World, verse 34.
All right, I'm sorry. Verse 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. I would suggest in the application that I'm making this afternoon that the first verse might bring a little bit more before us. God, the God of Light that is here, was the one scent of God that's going to bear away the sin of the world. And it's the God of Light who knows every one of those sins.
And the exact, I say carefully, the not only exact, but the infinite cost of those sins, who is going to deal with them. And he sends that one, the Lamb of God, who is to bear away the sin of the world. It's the God of light. And we have him introduced, and here he comes into this scene in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to bear away the sin of the world. But then the next time we read that, and I know these are thoughts that have often been mentioned.
But it says in looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith Behold the Lamb of God. I wasn't looking at him now.
As to what he was going to do about sin, but he was looking at him as an object of worship and adoration to say, look at him walking through this world. Have you and I, beloved brethren, taken time to not only think of the Lord Jesus, the God of light, if I may say it that way? Who has answered fully and taken care of fully and forever the question of sin? Who knows all about sin has dealt with it.
Has finished that work to God's eternal glory and satisfaction.
But.
Have we seen the God of love as he walked in this world? Have we spent time beholding him in his walk?
May I ask beloved young people, will you find something, someone in this world?
Some object in this world, whether it's in, as our brothers have brought out, the music or the entertainment or the sports or the.
The technological world, whatever it is, pick the world that exists today that you will and tell me if you'll find in that world.
One who's walked through this world deserves to even be thought about.
When we consider the walk of the Lamb of God, what a God of love and perfection, how he walked so perfectly. We're going to see that in a moment again, the God of light, those principles, light and love in action. But here it was light in action, and the sin is dealt with. That's taken up.
And then you and I can sit with joy and look at him and feed on him as he walks through this world. I submit to you, beloved young people. This is as real.
As the man who, from Saint Louis a couple years ago, hit seventy home runs.
This is as real as the wealthiest movie star in Hollywood. This is as real as Mr. Gates, Microsoft and all that he's done. And you go on and you name all the giants of the world that exist today, and I tell you as men, look at them and behold them and are in awe of them.
00:25:09
Here's one who infinitely outshines them. Are you beholding him today, beloved young people? Is he an object that really is something you want to behold? Behold the Lamb of God, the love, the perfection through which he walked through this world. May I share with you just one little? I consider this one of those sparkling When I say little, I don't want to ascribe anything little to the Lord Jesus, but it's one of those.
For one of the better word, little sparkling gems that flood the pages of this precious book. Just to show you the God of light and the God of love walking. And to challenge my heart and your heart. To follow him daily in our thoughts, in our readings, in our fellowship in those characters as we go through this very, very dark scene Let's turn over.
To the next chapter, I think it is.
Yeah, Chapter 2. John, Chapter 2.
And verse 13.
And the Jews? Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves and changers of money, sitting What a darkness. Beloved brethren had descended upon that place, so blessed that place that God would so desire to show his blessing, His Majesty, his power. What a scene of darkness. It wasn't the Lord's Passover anymore. It was the Jews Passover. It wasn't anything that was that was bringing satisfaction or joy, I say to the heart of God.
But it was simply a religious ceremony that the Jews were going through, empty and hollow, and that place, that was the dwelling place that God would dwell among his people in the midst of his people, his beloved earthly people had been turned, as the Lord Jesus says, in another place, into a House of merchandise, animals in there, men's valuation of wealth, money in there.
No room.
For the God of light in that place.
And so it says, This is, as I say now, the God of light.
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove the mall out of the temple.
And the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers money, and overthrew the tables. This is the God of light, the light that cannot abide such wickedness and sin and defilement. And he cleanses it. But notice this.
And he said unto them, that sold doves take these things hence.
Now what would have happened to those little birds that he created had he overthrown the tables those cages were set on? What would have happened to those little birds if he would have driven them out of that place like he drove the animals? He would have died the God of love in every detail of his life. He drives the cattle out, he overthrows the money changers table. But when it comes to those little helpless birds in those cages, he says to those that brought him take those cages out of here.
And that beautiful. And you see that over and over the perfection.
Of this God of light, and yet a God of love in every detail of His way. I say that to encourage your heart's beloved young people. I say again, there is not a detail of your life that He will not and does not want to handle in absolute perfection with the tenderest care and concern.
Sometimes we who are older. I say this for myself first. I don't want to offend anyone, but I fear at times we who are older sometimes forget.
How to communicate effectively with those who are young in the kind of a world we live in?
But the God of love knows how to communicate with you. He knows beloved young people, everything that you face every day of your life. And while you may find at times your brethren who do love you, and even your parents who do love you, sometimes seem to not be tender as to the things that exercise and concern your hearts don't seem to be able to understand and enter into them like you wish they could. He does.
00:30:21
Jesus does, and you can trust him implicitly.
Not only as a God of Light who knows tenderly cares for every detail, every thought of your life, and he wants to bring the richest, fullest blessing into your life.
Let's go over to Chapter 3.
There came to Jesus in verse two. Well, we read verse one. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Here's somebody who should have known. Here's somebody who was responsible to know he was a Pharisee. They took the place of being the most religious, most zealously religious of the people of God. And he was a ruler of the Jews. So he was in a very responsible position. He should have known and been able to put to use.
Effectively, the knowledge that went with the position, he took a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews.
And it was night.
He came to the God of light at night.
And we won't go through it, but you find in this chapter how.
The God of Light begins to shine that light on this man, who something, by the grace of God, was stirring and at work in his soul.
And he says to him, as it were, Nicodemus, all that you have and all that you are isn't enough.
You need to be born again.
And I want to just apply it in that way, beloved brethren, for those of us the wonderful privilege and the joy we have of in the by the sovereign grace of God being gathered to the Lord's precious name. What a privilege.
But let's be careful, brethren, that it doesn't become just a position.
Because the God of Light shines into our hearts, and he knows if we're looking at what it means to be gathered to his precious name as a place.
Of pride.
Or as a position that's right when everybody else is wrong. Oh, beloved brethren, let's be careful of that.
The God of light shone into this man, and at first shown a man who knew, or at least took the position of knowing.
And then it showed that he was very responsible, and then it showed that he didn't know anything.
And then the God of love.
Having shown him what his position was, having shown him what he his condition was, I should say, Then the God of love comes, and you know those verses as well as I. Then the God of love reveals himself, and we find that that God of love so works in his heart that finally, by the end of the Gospel of John, we have it in other gospels. By the end, when the Lord Jesus was crucified, you find Nicodemus is willing to not any longer be identified with the Lord in the night.
But he's there with Joseph of Arimathea in the day in the light. Well, I want to go on for the sake of time, and leave that with you to ponder. But, oh, beloved brethren, as we walk through this world, I say again, let's recognize that the love of God has been so kindly and graciously shown to draw us, to gather us through His precious name. But let's remember as gathered to his precious name.
As there we have a God of Light, the God of Light, who looks and sees and evaluates perfectly what we are as to our condition and our state of soul, even as was done there with those assemblies in Revelation.
And I don't say that to discourage.
To criticize, but to encourage our hearts that we walk by His grace in the most privileged of physicians. But with that comes responsibility. And may I suggest, before we go on, that the greatest responsibility of all, I believe, is the responsibility of humility.
00:35:11
Of being very humble as to what our God has brought us into, and to embrace it, to love it, to be faithful to it, but to be ever so humble about what it is to be gathered to the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's go on to Chapter 4 just for one comment. We made it yesterday. I believe it was. I'll just say again, the Lord Jesus deals with this dear woman.
And he says to her, go call thy husband and come hit her.
I say again, this is the light, the God of light, shining, revealing everything, she says.
She says to him, I have no husband. And then the light shines even brighter and she recognizes. She recognizes that here's a man who evidently knows everything there is that can be known about her. And then the God of love, I say down in verse 29, she says by testimony, Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Well, I want to apply it this way.
Beloved brethren and I want to especially speak to the beloved young people here. We live in days that are very dangerous days. It's very easy to end the path through this world, to make a misstep. If we get away from the Lord, if we get away from the reading of the word of God, we get out of communion and fellowship. What am I saying? Young people can be in communion and fellowship with the Lord, of course.
He didn't set an age limit when he said, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and Sup with him and he with me. He's not setting an age limit. He's saying to every single born again, Christian, everyone washed by his precious blood from their sins, that he desires fellowship with you. We're not talking about the level or the kind, the extent of the fellowship. We're talking about a wonderful and sweet fact, the God of this universe, the God of light and a God of love.
Every single day of your life wants to have fellowship beloved young people with you individually.
And with me and with each one of us here now.
If we get away from that, if that doesn't mean much to us and we belong to Him, we will find that the paths in this world can be very slippery and we will find that we can easily fall into those things that really displease the Lord and can cause some hurtful scars.
Is it all over beloved young people if there's been a fall and there's been scars?
The God of light that I know is my father in Genesis, one said.
Over a scene that was an absolute ruin and confusion.
For some reason that he's not seen fit to tell us, a beautiful, perfect creation had been ruined.
Why didn't he just throw it away?
And say it's not worth working with, It's been ruined.
The God of light shone into that dark, abysmal creation.
Let there be light.
And the God of love, I say reverently, went to work and rebuild it. Imperfection. And it was beautiful.
That's the God I know. That's the God you know and that you have.
I'm not telling anyone here that it's OK to fail.
That's a dishonor to the one who hung on the cross and agonized for hours in horrible suffering.
When we fail.
He feels it far more than we do when we sin. But I'm suggesting to you.
That you may be very much, and I may be in our lives in some way, very much like this woman, unfaithful, trying one thing and another.
One star after another building up in our lives and there is a God of light and a God of love who comes and says, I know all about you and I love you.
And then the joy is to go tell someone.
Come see this one who knows everything there is to know about me, I say again, brother, if there was one person in this room sitting here who knew everything there was to know about me, you'd be the last person I'd want to introduce anybody to. But not to my Lord Jesus. He knows everything there is to know about me.
00:40:17
And I would love for you.
And love for myself to have a closer fellowship and relationship with him.
Come see a man, a God of love that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? Let's close with just one more.
I will leave it to you to follow these out.
You know there are so many. There's the the woman in chapter 8. There's the blind man in Chapter 9. There's the Lazarus in Chapter 11. But I want to finish with the one.
The ones in need of light in chapter 21. The ones in need of light in chapter 21.
Simon Peter, verse 3 saith unto them, I go fishing, they say, that is those mentioned earlier, we also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately and that night.
Caught nothing. And when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, and that precious they gave up, you might say, in a way they gave up on the Lord the following Peter's lead, I don't say in its depth, but there was discouragement, and they were saying this, this path. So they went back to what they were doing. He didn't give up on them. There he was in the morning, standing on the shore, and he says, children.
Have any meat? And they answered him no.
They worked all night long. They labored. There was a lot of them. They were trained fishermen, they were professionals, and they probably were in the fishing grounds that would have normally been expected to produce a fairly good catch. And I doubt that in those three years or so that they'd walked with the blessed Lord Jesus, that they had lost totally their fishing skills.
And so they go out at night.
And what do they produce? Not one thing.
How do we know that? Because the God of Light shone into that scene.
And he said to them.
Whether it's been discouragement, whether it's been offense, whether it's been ignorantly following someone you shouldn't have been following, you haven't been fishing doing the work I've given you to do. So what have you got to show for it?
That's pretty bright light, isn't it? We get away from the Lord, cold in our souls. We take off on a path.
And we think it's happened to me many times, I fear to say.
Get kind of cold and discouraged. And so one goes off and takes off on a path, and when it's all over, the Lord quietly comes in His loving way and says So what good did that do you?
What have you got to show for it?
And I have to say nothing, Lord.
That's the God of light, he's saying. Without me, you can't do anything.
You can't go a step in this scene without me.
And I want you to learn that I don't want you to go back out into the night and spend all your energies out there. I want you to stay with me.
But then what does he do after he shines in light? Have you any meat? No, don't have any meat, he says.
To them, I'm going to find the verse. There's a particular phrase verse 12.
Come and die.
Not only gives them a catch for their boat, that starts to say, it starts to sink the boat.
Maybe not here. Oh, they couldn't draw it for the multitude of the fishes.
That's pretty heavy. That's pretty heavy catch with several fairly young, experienced fishermen, physically active, physically capable, and they're having trouble pulling the net in with all the fish that the Lord gave them. That's a God of love. You know, as a parent, if someone you know as a parent, I often too often said when one of the boys did something I didn't want them to do. Well, what did you get out of it that was worthwhile? Well, nothing. And then I think, well, And now you've learned your lesson.
00:45:00
And that's not the God of love.
He says, what did you get for fishing all night? Nothing. Well, here's a whole net full of fishes. Now that's the God of love. And then he says, now come and dine. And he says, as it were, to Peter. Peter, I'm going to give you a fire that you never found in the world. You were having trouble just trying to keep yourself warm. I'm going to give you warmth and I'm going to give you food. I've got a much better fire than the world does. Oh, what a God of love we have, Beloved brethren. These are dark days. These are very confusing days. These are very solemn days. Beloved young people.
Your brethren, in all of our failures, fear for you. Naturally speaking. It's not a world that we are enjoying seeing our beloved young people walk into.
But it's a world that we have a measure of comfort, and the more we know him, the more the comfort is knowing that you walk into that world if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior with the God of Light and the God of love.
Oh, may you walk closely with him and beloved brethren, all of us in this dark scene that we're walking through to be encouraged. There isn't a facet, there isn't a thing in our life that we meet, that we're going to meet with that doesn't answer, doesn't have its full answer in our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Light and the God of Love.
Let's pray, Father, we thank you for this time together.
Encouragement for a Very Dark Day
Address—D. Rule
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
#208.
In hope, we left our wishful longing eyes waiting to see the Morning Star arise.
How bright, how gladsome will his advent be before the sun shines forth in majesty #208?
Can hopefully.
Let our way.
In eyes.
Waking.
All morning.
*.
Wars.
00:05:51
Would you turn with me this afternoon to the Epistle?
Of Jude.
Verse one.
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called.
Mercy unto you, and peace and love.
Be multiplied.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you.
And exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith.
Which was once delivered unto the Saints.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation.
Ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just before this meeting I was speaking to an older brother and he made the remark to me that.
He felt that the way.
Is only going to get steeper and more difficult as we approach the moment. And wonderful moment might be today, but the moment of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ for us.
And I heartily agree with that comment.
And this afternoon, for the next little while, it's on my soul that we look afresh at this little epistle of Jude. Because in all the Word of God, at least in all the New Testament part of the Word of God, I know of no darker picture that's painted than this one.
This little book was taken up recently.
In two days of meetings in Naperville in Illinois. And one of the things that struck my soul in the taking up of it is how bright and encouragement we can find from such a book.
And it's on my heart that our souls might be encouraged as we see such a terribly dark picture painted for us and yet at the same time see tremendous provision and brightness for our souls. Can we say at such a time as this, I believe this is the day in which we are living. I've been struck in dealing with books for most of my adult life and the teaching of brethren of a past century particularly.
To find that of all those writings, the one book that to my soul is taken up most generically is this one. And I believe in part it is because they did not see, practically speaking, the state of the church, the state of the Christian profession on earth in their day, as it can be viewed in this day.
And yet, brethren, it's a tremendous thing to know that God is never taken by surprise, and God has given us something that we can have for ourselves and for the moments that may remain to us until the Lord comes.
00:10:03
Just like to notice a couple of things in the very beginning that set the stage, if you will, because a very bright picture is presented to us before the darkness is given. And that's in verse one it says.
Sanctified by God the Father and another translation it says Beloved by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. What a way to start, isn't it?
To think that whatever we might have before us, we can start right out. And God says, I want you to know that you have been set apart by me, and you are beloved by me.
If we don't have that in our souls, can I say we don't have anything that we need? We need to have that sense and God would give it to us that he loves us. Some here know that some of us frequently visit several times a week a detention center and.
One of the things that you learn after a little while that you have to be very careful how you use the word love.
Because some of the people you're talking to don't have much sense of it. You can't say like your mom and dad love you because you have no idea in many cases whether they know who their father or their mother even is, and they may have a sense of having been abandoned.
One young man said recently, my father and my mother, the state of Illinois, that's all he knew as far as those that had authority over the control of his life. You can't speak to a person like that and as it were, use analogies about love.
But here we can, we know we have been brought into the enjoyment of something that we can say beloved by God the Father, to not only have a God that has great power, but he's the Father. He's the one that has a personal relationship with you as his child, at least if you fall into the class of those addressed here in Jude. And it is addressing believers.
And preserved in Jesus Christ. Oh, what a wonderful thing to know that the preservation of my soul for eternity rests with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Does that give comfort and encouragement? It should.
The preservation of your soul.
Rests.
With the Lord Jesus Christ. What a bright beginning that is.
Verse two though, says mercy to you and peace.
And love be vault applied.
Little orders of words can have great significance in the word of God, and I'm struck by the fact that.
Verse two begins with the word mercy.
Not a single other New Testament letter begins its introduction when it talks about grace and mercy and peace with the word mercy, and I believe it's the only New Testament letter that even mentions mercy in this introductory remarks when addressed to more than one person.
When it's addressed to Timothy, for example, it believe it's grace, mercy and peace.
That is, mercy is mentioned in the address, but if you were looking at when the Saints in, say, Corinth were addressed, mercy isn't even mentioned. But brethren, if we have a sense in our souls of what God is saying to us in the book of James, we're going to have a realization that.
That that's the word. We need mercy to begin. We also need peace and love.
Multiplied to our souls. But you and I need to recognize in the condition of things in which the profession exists, we identified with that profession as part of it really have to have a sense in our souls of being in need of mercy.
I want to emphasize that because sometimes God, somebody was asking me the other day, was it ever wrong not to show compassion?
I don't know what answer you would give to that. The answer that I gave was yes. There are times when it's not appropriate to display compassion.
There were seventy years in which Israel was put away, in which.
00:15:04
They did not have collectively the compassion of God. It's 2000 years nearly since the Jewish people have had low MI written upon them.
And they're not the subject of the compassion of God collectively, although individually. And God in his mercy is always sovereign and able.
The man that said that didn't want to work in Thessalonians. They was told neither shall he eat.
You know, there might be a place when someone says, oh, give me some money, I need this or that, and it might be wisdom to say no.
Sometimes the difficulty in our souls is that we don't realize.
Where we are so we don't recognize our need of the compassion of God, and he may withhold it in some sense that he might waken us up.
So I say right in the beginning of these remarks just in the desire that we might apply them to our own lives and our own souls, collectively and individually.
Lest we miss the benefit that God would have for us because we don't realize, properly speaking, that we need mercy as well as peace and love.
Here he says in verse three, I wanted to write about the common salvation, but.
It's necessary for me to exhort you to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
And I believe that if Jude were here this afternoon, that's his message on behalf of God to you, and I would echo it for him, as it were. Brethren, let's earnestly contend for the faith.
Which was once delivered to the Saints.
The difficulty is that certain men have come in unawares into the faith.
And.
The God is announced beforehand the condemnation of such, and in verses which follow He gives us examples of how in the past He's acted.
In situations similar to these.
Because.
These, the condemnation of such, is that they are ungodly persons who have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness and denied our only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Before we look at that a little more, I'd like to just go through a few verses in the New Testament that bring before us what we're talking about when we say the faith. Turn with me back to Acts chapter 6.
This may be the first reference to what we're talking about in the New Testament, at least the 1St that I'm aware of.
In Acts chapter 6, we have that expression, the faith.
Let's see.
Verse seven And the word of God increased in the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.
And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
The Christian faith we could call it, although in some ways it's broader than that.
But for our purposes this afternoon, we'll look at it particularly as the Christian faith. It's not just the idea that a person has a trust in God that's being looked at here, but it is the collection of beliefs that are commonly held among them. And so he refers to it as the faith. And here were some priests who, as it were, previously had embraced the Jew, the faith connected with Judaism.
And now they identified themselves with that faith that was connected with the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Lord and Savior, and so they were obedient to the faith. We find the expression appears multiple times in the Acts, but we don't have time to look at them. I'm just suggesting to you that sometime you might want to trace it out, but turn with me to just a few places in the epistles where we have the expression, the faith, that we might have a sense of what it is that we are to earnestly contend for.
Because if we don't know what the faith is, then we don't know what we're supposed to hold on to.
00:20:03
And to contend for, to uphold, turn to Galatians, Chapter 2.
Galatians, chapter 2.
And verse 20.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Verse chapter 3.
And.
Verse.
22 is the law of chapter 3, verse 22.
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise.
By faith or it can also be translated the faith of Jesus Christ.
Might be given unto them that believe.
I believe we can say that the faith is the faith which has Jesus Christ as its object.
That's the faith, brethren, that we need to contend for, the faith that has the Lord Jesus Christ as the object of it. That's what Paul was saying about his life.
He says I live by the faith, and I'll put it this way, I live by the faith which has the Son of God as its object.
And when you read the last, apparently last epistle that he wrote concerning his own life, he said in the end, in Second Timothy, chapter four, he said, I have kept the faith.
What a testimony.
Would that be a satisfactory testimony for each life in this room?
That we might, as it were, be stand with the apostle Paul and say, I live.
Each day.
In that faith which has the Son of God.
As the object of that day's life.
And all that's connected with it to those we'll see and then have at least can I put it this way, the desire.
That at the end of life, it could be said of us.
Even if we wouldn't be able to say like the apostle Paul could say of himself, but that it could be said.
He has kept, she has kept the faith.
Now turn over to Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 4.
Endeavoring or verse 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. 1 Lord, 1 Faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
There's only one faith.
And that's the faith that is to be kept.
There's one body and one spirit.
Which formed by God through the Spirit.
But at the same time, there's only one profession, there's only one Lord.
That is recognized in the word of God, to be followed, to be identified with Christianity. 1 Lord.
One faith, one baptism.
It's not to be as it were made into multiple face of a common God or anything like that, but God himself says there's one Lord and there's one faith and the proper way in which we identify ourselves with it is through the one baptism. Then he says down a little farther on.
00:25:25
Verse 11 And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
Till we all come in the unity of the faith.
And of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man.
Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness.
Of Christ.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth. And love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head.
Even Christ.
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
I don't know what the Lord Jesus felt as we read those verses.
But when I read them.
And I see that this is the way.
That he intended the body on Earth to operate.
And when I see how the body on earth operates in truth.
It just makes me want to eat.
Sometimes I say in talking to the Lord, my personal life, and I read something like this, I say I'm sorry, Lord, I'm sorry.
This isn't a description of what you find in Jude.
This is not a description of what you find in practice.
In the profession of Christianity on the earth today, yes. You may find examples of it here and there.
But the Lord Jesus looks at the whole He doesn't isolate a little piece here or a little piece there from his attention.
He sees the hole.
And he cares for it all. And he said, when I ascended up into heaven.
I gave gifts of men for my body, the church.
That it might be built up, that it might be edified, that it might be impractical as well as it is in perfect holy unity, according to my eye, that my children not be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men.
But that all might come unto the unity of the faith.
Is that the description that?
Can I say an unbiased reporter would be able to give if he were to report what the church is the profession of Christianity is as he would view it today?
Turn over to Colossians.
Colossians chapter 2 and verse 6.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith.
As ye have been taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving, beware.
He talks about them being rooted and built up in the Lord.
00:30:04
And established in that faith.
That they had been taught.
Abounding in it with Thanksgiving. But then he adds a word of caution.
A word of warning, he said. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy.
And vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world.
And not after Christ.
For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power.
Was given at the beginning, before the day of, described by Jude.
That they would be established in the faith and abound in it with Thanksgiving. But they were also warned there were things that could come in among them that would, practically speaking, work to destroy the faith.
I want to stop right here and make a remark. It's important so that not be misunderstood about something.
Jude views it from your responsibility and mine. He was speaking to his brethren to exhort them in a certain way to activity and action in their hearts and lives, to earnestly contend for the faith.
Because it was being destroyed.
We might say, but can it really be? Can it really be? If you look at it from God's side, this cannot be destroyed.
As it says in Second Timothy.
The foundation of God stands sure.
And I believe it's God's side of it because it shows us that.
God has done a work through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that cannot be moved, cannot be shaken, cannot be destroyed.
It stands sure the foundation is there, the work of the cross is finished, and it is.
There to rest for all eternity.
And in that we rejoice and thank God in that foundation. But what we have to consider this afternoon is not God's side of the foundation that cannot be moved or shaken or destroyed, but it is that which is put into the hands of man in responsibility, and what we see is the result of man.
Who carries out or fails to carry out that which he is responsible for? And so here in Colossians.
They were in danger of losing, and they were told to beware lest they lose in their souls, or be spoiled by man's thoughts intruding into the things of God that would give them to lose the truth of God in their own souls.
Now let's turn back over and look a little more, particularly now at Jude.
I.
You don't need to turn over to it, but if you will, you can you keep your finger here because we're going to come right back. But I want to refer to a verse in Acts chapter.
Umm 5 Acts chapter 5 Keep your finger here in Jude if you will. If you want to look at it with me, in Acts chapter 5 we have Ananias and Sapphira.
And.
It's the sin of these two believers in the beginning of the history of the church, and they die and verse.
11 It says in Acts 511. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. Verse 13, and the rest of the rest durst no man join himself to them, but the people magnified them.
00:35:15
That's the beginning of the history of the church. That is, the church was viewed by the world.
As a holy.
Collection of people seen by God as one body.
And by the teaching, they recognize that they were part of that one body.
But God Southern acted in their midst in such a way that if you weren't real, you didn't dare identify yourself with those people.
When you saw what happened to two of their number who were taken away by the hand of God.
You didn't dare identify with such a company of believers or such a company of people if you weren't serious and real about it yourself.
We find in the beginning in the description of it given to us, where the Church was held to be responsible in Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2, that they couldn't stand. They did not tolerate false teaching in their midst.
They detected it and it was rejected.
That was the beginning.
That was the way it started.
When John was talking at one point later on in his epistle, he said of some, They went out from us, for they were not of us. That is, they left the profession. They were warned about it in Hebrews. Don't turn back, because if you do, there's nothing for you if you turn away an apostasy from the truth of God.
But then Timothy.
Was told by Paul, he said. You know, in the end, difficult days are going to come.
Because.
Some are going to turn aside from the truth. Some are going to apostasize from the truth.
And Jude describes it in its most serious condition.
The apostasy comes right in and finds a home.
In God's house, Oregon, at least, the House of profession.
Not turned out, not made unwelcome.
That's what Jude was saying to the brethren, he said. The foundation you need to contend for the foundations of the faith.
Because they're going to be some that are going to get in unnoticed and unaware.
And I would say just by the way things come unaware, brethren.
One of the unawarenesses or ways that they do is that the practice of truth is given up sometimes a generation or more before the doctrine, and so it comes in unaware in that way because the practice is given up.
Mindsets are changed, attitudes are changed that affect practice long before there's any awareness or anyone would dare to say anything about the doctrine itself.
And so some came in on wares, and this is the condemnation, that is, this is the statement of God concerning such.
Ungodly men.
Across the street from where I live is the Nagle family.
Father, a mother, a daughter and three sons.
And I may be wrong in my assessment, but I think it may illustrate a point.
As far as I can see, it's an ordered family.
The father and mother provide well for their children.
The father and mother spend time with their kids. They seem to know what they're doing. They have them in activities that would not, can I say would keep them out of trouble.
00:40:04
They're kind.
Considerate people in dealing with them.
In that sense, they're good neighbors.
But they are ungodly.
What's that mean?
It means they live their lives.
Without reference to God.
Kind. Nice, good, easy to talk to, yes.
But ungodly.
They live their lives without reference to God.
They're not described here in Jude.
Because I believe if you would ask them.
Are you part of the Christian faith? They might be honest and say no.
As far as I know they never go to church, even at Christmas and Easter.
But what's described here in Jude?
Is that ungodly persons?
Have been able to find themselves at rest in a comfort zone in the profession of the faith.
That's one of the most used words in this little short chapter.
And what makes a person ungodly, I believe is described here.
In verse 19 it says.
These be they who separate themselves.
Sensual.
Not having the Spirit.
It says in the Mr. Darby's translation Natural men not having the spirit.
That's the kind of person that now has a home in the faith among men.
Natural men not having the spirit.
The Spirit of God indwelling the soul is what separates a man for God in the faith.
And if a man does not have the spirit, if he only can live by his nature?
He is going to be in his practice ungodly. He is going to live without a proper.
Sense of relationship and authority to God in his actions.
We have 3 examples that are given in this little book.
I'd like to notice in verse 11, Woe unto them is speaking about.
These ungodly persons that have come in in the profession.
They have gone in the way of Cain and run greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Cora.
Different ways this could be applied and has correctly I'm sure. I would like to apply it this afternoon and this way. Cain was the first ungodly man that ever lived on the earth.
He was a man in his particular case, who when convicted of his sin.
Murdering his brother, it says of him, after the Lord showed mercy to him and put a mark on him that his life would be spared.
It says he went out from the presence of the Lord.
And can I say we see in Cain and in his offspring people who lived without reference to God? They made the earth their own.
And lived here as if it was theirs, without respect to God or God's authority.
Ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.
When Paul was talking to Timothy and giving him instructions for those who were to have the responsibilities of deacons and the Church of God, he spoke about the faith, and he said about such persons. He says, now be careful, Timothy, Timothy, that they not have that, as it were, desire for money.
00:45:17
Because they may turn aside from the faith and spoil it.
If you put a natural man in a spiritual realm.
He cannot be rightly motivated because he has not the spirit, and so the consequence is that he is motivated by something else. And Balaam, such a man was motivated by money.
And he was, when such take over in the House of God.
Or the great house, I should call it.
In the faith.
It destroys the foundation practically.
Perished in the gainsaying of Korah.
Cora was the first cousin of Moses and Aaron.
And Cora said we're as good as you, Moses.
We're just as holy as you are.
And who are you to say that you've got first place?
We don't like it.
And he murmured.
And it's a solemn, practical characteristic of apostasy within the profession.
Murmuring.
It's a heart of unbelief.
To murmur, and if you find yourself murmuring against your brethren or the Lord.
Judge it.
Earnestly contend for the faith.
Beginning with yourself.
And I with myself.
While there's no fruit for God from these things.
And God warns.
Of it we have Adam or Enoch brought before us and I think that while not specifically inspired of God allowed of God the order of the New Testament books. It's wonderful to have as it were this book here of Jew just before the revelation because you see the darkest of pictures of unbelief having come in within the very profession of Christianity and and you reach that point whereas it comes right to the end of the age.
It's like looking at it and having to ask God will he find faith in the earth?
Will there be anything left?
There was hardly anything when the Lord came accepting that God.
Determined by his will that there would be some looking for his coming.
And he found a handful in Jerusalem there, by the grace of God and by the purposes of God, that there'd be somebody to welcome his Son. But if he had delayed another few years and those who were 100 plus were gone, what would he have found? Perhaps.
Well, it wasn't to be, but we find here at the end of Jude that.
It goes clear back to Enoch, who prophesied of the judgment that was to come. And to me it's a wonderful thing that.
The very things that Jude takes up are going to be turned around.
When he comes.
And we might notice some of them.
I'll just notice two that have really struck me in this chapter because our time is moving along.
Notice back where he speaks in the very beginning in verse 4 where he describes these people.
It says.
Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God in our Savior Jesus Christ.
There's two things I want to mention out of those in the moral picture that's given here.
Man uses God's grace in the church.
Or the profession to justify immoral behavior.
Horrible that it may be.
00:50:01
Homosexuality is evil.
And yet it's being embraced within the church or the profession.
And I want to be careful here because I saw just this past Monday night a young fellow named Lawrence, when homosexual behavior was spoken of as sin, and he made a remark which is important to remember. He was a little confused by that remark. And it was necessary to try to help Lawrence to recognize that God loves the person. He hates the sin.
And when we speak of certain sins, like murder, God loves the murderer, but he hates murder. God loves the man that others might call the homosexual, but he hates the sin, and it cost his son his life that there might be forgiveness from it.
But the grace of God is now used in the profession to justify.
Immoral behavior. Behavior that suits man in his rebellion and in his fallen, corrupted nature before God.
The second thing, denying the only Lord God in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God's authority.
Has been set aside.
Denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a systematic work in the world today in which we live to set aside authority, the authority of government, the authority in the home, the authority in the Assembly.
And not to recognize individually. And it starts individually, it's set aside collectively, but the root of the problem begins with the individual denying the absolute lordship of Christ in their life.
We need, brethren, each one of us, to examine our own heart before the Lord.
We might say I own Jesus as Lord.
I'm convicted when I see that.
Because.
I'm convicted by the thought. Can I say I acknowledge the Lordship of Christ in every detail of my life?
Or are there things in my life?
Where I do not in practice, while I might in principle, while I might abstractly, but do I in practice acknowledge His Lordship as absolute in my life?
One of the tests I've had for that in my own soul is that I've sometimes said we have no decisions to make in life. None.
You have no decisions to make in your life. You have only to know the will of your Master and Lord.
You only have to discern his mind.
For you.
In every circumstance of life.
But in this picture, which is painted before us here, his Lordship has been given up.
Turn with me now just to.
Briefly to a bright side to me, this is a bright part of the book, verse 20. But ye beloved, and I like the fact and note there are four things here to note quickly and it's it's wonderful. One of them is with respect to God. One is respect to the Holy Spirit. One is respect to the Lord Jesus and one is with respect to you, as it were. God embraces you and these four things together with himself. And so he says.
Beloved, building yourselves up in your we're on your most holy.
Faith, rather in the faith, is holy.
It's holy, and you and I are to, in a practical sense, embrace a holy faith.
And be built up in it and by it. Embrace it for your life.
00:55:04
Anything which draws you away from the holiness of the faith is of the flesh. It's not of God.
Then he says praying in the Holy Spirit. I'm struck by that because we think of the Holy Spirit as it is, is the instrument of God. It's the person of God acting in power in the Christian life. And to me it's the condition of things has gotten all the way to the end where it says it takes the power of the Holy Spirit in life just to be dependent in prayer.
Think of that.
How does it apply?
I faced it this morning.
I woke up at, I don't know, 630.
Before 6:45.
I could hear my grandchildren.
And it was very tempting to put aside the time of prayer to enjoy the precious small moments that you get sometimes as a grandparent with your grandchildren.
Praying always in the Holy Spirit.
Did the circumstance of coming to the conference and not being in your regular routine and perhaps being in someone's home as a guest or a visitor, did it have an effect on the time spent in prayer this morning?
Praying always in the Holy Ghost.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.
God's love never changes.
He loves you every moment from a past eternity, and He's going to love you for any future eternity, unchanging and unchangeable as one of His children. But oh how important. When the faith is being destroyed practically on every hand, what is it that keeps the soul in the path with God? It is that individual, personal enjoyment of His love.
For you.
Nothing can substitute for it. He begins, He says, beloved of God, sanctified. And now he comes and he says to his brother, and he says, that's the position of God. But for you, brethren, go on.
In that conscious sense of God's love for you.
And then verse.
The end of that verse looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. I don't have time to really elaborate on this much, but it's connected with the first mercy in the book Mercy to Us.
It has been said that this really refers to the coming of the Lord, and in this sense, in Jude it's looked at as a mercy.
It's a mercy because, brethren, Paul said to Timothy when things started to get tough and he was giving some final exhortations to him, he said lay hold on eternal life.
Well, eternal life's laid hold of us because it comes from God and we're born from above. But there is that sense in which we, in a practical way, need to.
Walk in it.
Experience it in our daily lives that we need to lay hold on eternal life and you know the actual practical living of it out is becoming more rare.
As the day grows darker and so he says, look for the mercy, as it were, the Candlestick got dimmer and dimmer until there was fear that it might go out. And it won't. I'm convinced, absolutely convinced of God, that it won't. There will be.
Some appointed by God and by His grace and mercy, that are looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the exhortation is looking for that coming.
Or it's going to be a mercy.
Well, we need to help each other. Verse 22 speaks about having compassion. There are some that we need to contend with.
Because they've fallen into the error of the apostasy that's come into the profession and we need to contend with them. Others we need to seek to save with fear, as it were, trying to ****** them out of the fire. That is the place, the direction in which.
It all ends if it continued on its present course.
But we want to end with this wonderful prayer. Before we praise, we close.
01:00:05
He ends James ends in a wonderful heart. Joe Jude ends on a wonderful high note, he says.
Now him that is able to keep you, he looks above everything.
Awful as it may be, and he looks above it all, and he looks up to God, and he says to his brother, and he says to him, to God that is able to keep you from falling or stumbling and to present you faultless. Oh, what an end to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wise God, our Savior. We need God as a Savior now.
In this time in which we live, to the only wise God our Savior be glory and majesty and dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
Amen. Let's pray.
The First Man & The Second Man
Address—C. Buchanan
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
#32.
Son of God.
Joy, we praise Thee on the Father's throne. Above all, Thy wondrous work displays Thee. Full of grace and full of love. Lord, accept our adoration for our sins. Thou once was slain. Through Thy blood we have salvation.
Soon shall share thine endless reign that's #32 please somebody started.
Son of God, with joy we pray.
We'll pray. Expected. Well, who said?
By name, the United States is not in the Bible.
It says here it is in the 18th chapter of Isaiah and as I read it I'll try to explain his thoughts about it.
Wool. Or you could read that hoe. It's a call of attention to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is the best exposure we've had is a man named Kush who settled in those early days both east and West of Palestine.
So what's the Spirit of God talking about? Host of the land shattering with wings?
Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and another character about that land that sendeth ambassadors by the sea.
That's a maritime nation, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the water, saying go ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled a description of Israel.
To a people terrible from their beginning. Hitherto I was living in the days of that.
Six days war over there, and most of you were too. And those Jews, they put those armies of the Arabs to fly in six days. They are warriors going back to the days of David and so on.
A nation scattered and peeled, and people terrible from their beginning. Hitherto they are warriors. But what happened to them? A nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled, You know when.
The Israelites were brought into that land out of Egypt. It was a land that God said, flowing with milk and honey.
Very, very productive. Plenty of rain, plenty of water. But what is it now?
All that machinery and civilization's ability can produce through irrigation, they have to go after the water and get it in there to produce the natural food. Well, they have been very skillful, although I can't talk from first experience. I haven't been over there. But we believe these reports and the land is getting filled up. Well, here to go on with this.
00:05:24
Verses here the rivers.
We'll go and read about that.
All the inhabitants of the world dwellers on the earth, and we've got lots of those today, the news going out and people want to hear it.
Earth dwellers that like to stay here.
Nicole is see ye are you people on the earth? You look and see what's going on today.
When he lifted up an Ensign on the mountains. When he blows the trumpet, hear ye.
One writer said this is the echo to the feast of trumpets for the Jews that's going to call them back to the land.
And if that being the echo.
In the last 50 years.
Many, many Jews have gone back to the land ahead of time, ahead of the Feast of Trumpets.
But we will go on read.
For the so the Lord said unto me, that's Isaiah the prophet getting this word. I, the Lord said this to him, I will take my rest, God saying that, and I will consider in my dwelling place.
Like a clear heat upon herbs and like a cloud of dew in the time in the heat of harvest. Then he said, before the harvest.
When the bud is perfect.
And the sour grape is ripening in the flour. Now that's all that God sees in the returned remnant of the Jews over the place that's called Israel. And they're surrounded without and within by enemies, and they're squabbling over the Temple Mount, and neither one of them can fully have it. This is interesting. We're living in the days of the beginning of the fulfillment of some of this.
Before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, it's just a bud. They're called Israel. It's a sour grape. It's not the sweet village of the harvest that God wants. It's all that man can produce educationally with all his machinery. No fruit for God.
And.
Like a sour grape is ripening in the flower, not the fruit. What's God going to do? He shall both cut off the springs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches.
Israel as it is today is not going to last according to this, and I believe this, but more than that, I believe that we won't be here to see the most of this. Nevertheless, the Lord's coming is near and when we see these signs.
And I would say a little bit more about saying that this is the United States that's talked of here. The rivers of Kush were east and West of Jerusalem. There they were the Euphrates and the Nile.
I've sometimes said an old brother Jackson used to be up here in Saint Louis. He agreed with that, he said.
This tells me that the world is round and the people could have known it before the days of Columbus if they'd read this book. Because.
If you go east and West from Jerusalem, you come around to this side of the world, and I believe that too.
The English speaking world and the Christianized world are the ones who have become a shelter.
A shadowing with wings for the Jews who were dispersed and driven out of their land.
Because they rejected their Messiah.
And God has in his Providence taken care of that race.
In that race, oh, there might be 17 or 20 million of them, small compared to some of the other races, but they're there. More in the US than in Israel even. But there's a lot of moration and so on. They're not going to get their land under their own efforts, is what this tells us.
00:10:19
And when you see that, you know that the coming of the Lord for us is near. So you come around the world, and you come to the US, where there's the Christianized world and the truth has been developed, and you can't get any higher truth.
And we've been getting here in Saint Louis, and I look upon Saint Louis where we are as the center of this continent. It's not officially that, but I remember going out of the Union Station there and the railroads that went to the West Coast and the East Coast and North and South separately located yet.
And I'd like to say on that point that the truth came to Saint Louis back in the past century. I don't know the date.
But I know that my grandma was here 110 years ago, and I know that my mother was here 100 years ago, identified with this assembly. My father came into fellowship. So I really love my history through God's work of this place. Well, here we are, here we are, all this truth, the knowledge of the Lord's return and the knowledge that he's going to reign.
But he won't take this world in the condition that man has put it into.
Now, as to when.
We've said that there were 4000 years before the cross.
When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman.
Made under the law to redeem them that were under the law Galatians 4.
Jesus came on time the first time. When people asked me when is the Lord going to come again? I just have to say on time. But he hadn't told me the time. If he was on time the first time, he'll be on time the second time.
But I'm impressed to come down here within 40 days of another Millennium.
40 days of another century, 40 days of another year. It ought to make us think. Now, brethren, see ye and hear ye. When these things begin to come to pass, look up where your redemption draweth nigh.
Now let's go on back to Genesis to get a little more about the first creation. As we have said, this book is the story of two men, the 1St and the last, the 1St and the 2nd, Adam and Jesus. That was his name given.
We've reviewed without looking at it, the 1St chapter. I want to go to the fifth chapter and read. I think it's the second verse. We'll see if we can check that out and read it.
Yes, it's the second verse, but we read one and two.
Of chapter 5, Genesis Five, one and two.
This is the book of the generation of Adam.
In the day that God created him man, and they that God created man in the likeness of God made he him. We'll go back and check that out.
Male and female created he them.
Plural.
And blessed them and called their name Adam Singular.
They both had the same name. I say plural but singular name. He called their name Adam.
A whole this part of the Bible and turn over with me too. 1St Corinthians 12 Could they get a similar statement and connection with Christ and the church.
00:15:11
1St Corinthians 12.
And the 12Th verse.
Notice whereas the body is one and has many members.
And all the members of that one body, being many, are one body. So also Christ leave out the word. He is doesn't belong there. It's easier to understand this way. He called their name Adam. He calls Christ in the church. Christ he called.
Their name Adam, so also Christ. Don't be afraid to take that name upon you. You officially or outwardly take it in baptism. And we should be seen before the world as Christians.
Someone has said as to our witness.
Many around you won't listen to you.
When you preach the gospel or talk to them about wonderful things of God.
But they keep looking at you.
And what do they see? Do they see Christ?
Some of them, if they see Christ, that's the only place they're going to see Christ. It makes you think seriously, doesn't it?
Well, back in Genesis again. Pick up one or more, one or two more thoughts.
We'll go to the third chapter of Genesis, and we noticed the Bible is.
Has in many places short statements.
With a whole lot of meaning.
And we're going to stop with a short statement in the third chapter.
After sin had come in.
And the conscience was given.
In the 22nd verse.
God, the Lord God talks about it. Let's read what he says in Genesis 322 and the Lord God said, behold, often in Scripture that's a call to attention to see what's being said or heard or looked at. Behold the man. Now we're going to look at that same words in.
The New Testament at the other man, but not just right now we say a little bit more about this.
Behold the man.
That's God in the plural, for he had said in the first chapter in the 26th verse, Let us make man in our image, God in the Trinity as.
The seraphim in Isaiah 6 say Holy, holy, holy, the Trinity.
Let us make man in our image after our likeness. That's creation. That's where the 1St man came from and he was innocent. He was not a Sinner. See, God wanted to have a creature with whom he could come in.
And he could talk to somebody in innocence, just as we can take up our little babes and call them innocent and and enjoy them, although they might start hollering and protesting. But God looked at this creature.
Now sin had come in, he says, Behold the man.
That's Adam and Eve the one.
Unit.
In the beginning, we want to say that our talk will start with this God and man.
That's our God starts, and it will end with God.
And men, we'll get to that in the last chapter of the Bible. It's so charming.
These little things. But he says, behold, the man is become. Something had changed in that man is become. He had listened. Eve had listened.
00:20:05
The.
Adam as well as Eve Partick of that fruit. And what did it do?
Behold, the man has become as one of us to know good and evil God knows good and evil, the holy God.
The one who cannot sin.
We've been through that very beautifully in connection with Christ the Holy One.
Knows good and evil and perfectly does the good and perfectly abstained from the evil.
The man fallen could not do that. God in his mercy went on and tested that man.
For those 4000 years. And then he sent his son in to the world. And then we come to the second man.
This is a sad thing. Here. Behold the man.
Is become as one of us to know good and evil, so God said, And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden.
Never eaten to till the ground from which he was taken.
So he gave out the man and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims and a flaming sword to keep the way of the Tree of life. In our meetings we looked at that, the tree of life, we're going to find it. We did find it in the last chapter, but this is what God says about the 1St man.
Now let's look and see what the 1St man says about the 2nd man and John 19 verse. We'll find it. It's a very different thing. John 19.
Here is the.
Trial of the Lord Jesus.
Here is the representative of the Roman power, for when his people failed in there, taking control in government of the earth and the tribes and turned to idolatry, the Jews, he had them carried away captive. They're still stored up in captivity in a few of them back.
But there was a little company of them back to have the Messiah presented to them. We've had that knowledge of the woman in the fourth of John about the Messiah. She knows he's coming. She knows he's coming. He says I'm here. What a wonderful thing.
What did the 1St man do to the second man?
Let's read this a little bit.
John 19 Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him.
And the soldiers planted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple road, and said, Hail, King of the Jews. The Lord had confessed that he was the king of the Jews, and he was convicted on that statement, which was true, And they smote him with their hands.
Pilate therefore went again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, you look at him.
That he may know that I find no fault in him at all. In all, the trial pilot hadn't found any fault in Jesus. Never was there a man like that of which that could have been true. But it was true, and it was caused to be stated that it was true nevertheless.
Then came Jesus.
Fourth verse.
5.
Wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe mockery.
00:25:08
And Pilate saith unto them, Here's the statement, Behold the man.
This is the second race of man talking about the 2nd man.
Behold the man. That was an absolutely true statement. But there they were, mocking him, getting ready to crucify him and cast him out of the earth. That's the guilt of the 2nd man. And let's go on and read about it. See where that guilt lies. Maybe we can understand a little why the world is in such confusion and chaos and suffering.
Because of the result of this.
Verse six. When the chief priests, therefore, and the officer saw him, they cried out.
Saying, Crucify him, crucify him, Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.
That Jews answered him, we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of Man.
The lady made himself the Son of God.
Remember.
Back in Genesis.
Through the fall, it says about Adam his wife. Behold, the man has become as one of us, as gods. Now that was partially true through the fall.
The first man.
Gained the knowledge of good and evil, as gods have the knowledge of good and evil, but as they have been through it without the power to do the good and to refuse the evil.
So that what happened to the first man? He aspired to go up and be as gods, and he couldn't hold that position.
Now here, the second race, the second, I mean the first race of men under the Roman Empire, and the Jews that brought him there have the 2nd man before them.
And these statements are made, and behold the man.
And they said.
Because he made himself the Son of God, He was the Son of God, and he made himself the Son of Man. That blessed first man came down from Godhead deity and became a man to take our guilt and wash it away.
What a sight this is, in scorn, in mockery. Jesus set up there, but the trial goes on.
Verse eight One pilot therefore heard that saying he was the more afraid because Pilate had some knowledge that he had the authority of the 4th Gentile Kingdom, the Roman Empire, and he had a prisoner up here that he couldn't find any fault in.
And it wasn't right to condemn a guiltless person. It certainly wasn't right under the Jewish law either.
But what happens as you go on?
Pilate was getting to be scared, and he when did the judgment seat, and saith unto the saith to Jesus, Whence art thou?
Look at this.
Pilot says to Jesus, where did you come from?
What's the answer? But Jesus gave him no answer.
He is 33 years of ministry and.
Miracles and love and kindness and raising the dead was already known.
They should have known and believed that he came from God.
The trial goes on.
He was a more afraid and he didn't get any answer from Jesus. No defense. Then said pilot unto him, Speakest thou not unto me?
00:30:00
Jesus, aren't you going to talk to me? I'm the Roman power.
What happens?
Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release the?
Jesus answered. Now listen to this, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except that we're given the.
From above.
Therefore.
He that delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.
That is interesting.
The guilt is spread out over the whole world.
Later on in this book.
It was fulfilled. What's written in the first Psalm? Second Psalm? Let's turn to the second Psalm. Read that.
It starts right in the first verse of the second song.
Why did the heathen rage? That's the gentile. Why do the people imagine a vain thing?
Why do the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers, Gentiles and Jews, the rulers of them take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed? Say, let us break their bands in sunder, and castaway their courts from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, God's purposes and counsel being fulfilled.
And the whole thing of the cross.
The Lord shall have them in the region. There's a judgment for this. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sure displeasure. Let's go back to this 19th of John again.
Therefore.
Goes on and says.
Thou couldst have had no power.
Against.
Me, except that we're given.
To thee.
From above, that's the 11Th verse, Jesus telling Pilate you couldn't have any power against me if God hadn't given it to you. Pilot was set up there under the Roman Empire, the 4th of the Gentile powers, and that was by God.
There he was.
The Judge at the trial of the Lord Jesus.
And the stone stage is set. The perfect man, the 2nd man, is there to be the Savior in God's purposes and counsels too.
Him being delivered by the determinant council and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands of slain. God was in this cross too, the God of love, who wanted men, who wanted us in glory, with Him in full communion.
But here at the trial.
The Gentiles and the Jews, and the leaders of them, the governors.
Were united against the Lord and his Christ.
Trying to ******.
Trying to steal the running of the world and the government of it. And that's a part of the reason why there is so much chaos and confusion and sorrow and iniquity in the world. Nevertheless, God is still above and providentially He keeps us very well in a land that's full of believers.
I believe that with all my heart.
God over rules, even though.
The representative, the Roman Empire, if we look at the revived stage which is coming, you're still in the government here. But when the Christians are in power, it is a mercy, and let's keep praying for them, that God may overrule in his Providence. I say Providence because it's not a direct rule of God.
00:35:09
That we might live quite unpeaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, and that others might hear the gospel and be brought out and be saved, be connected with Christ in the heavenly Kingdom.
We must go on.
We will say a little bit about 3 days.
Let's go to 1St Corinthians 4.
Because the world is given over by God and dispensed by God, and he is over ruling. And in First Corinthians 4, Paul, speaking in kind of an oblique way, presents before us the day that we're living in now.
1St Corinthians 4 and verse 3.
It's a remarkable way of looking at things. Paul was being judged a little bit.
By his own brethren, their Corinth, I believe.
And he makes a few statements.
Let's start from the first verse. Let a man show count of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards, stewards of the mysteries of God.
And stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards. We've got much to take care of the truth, the precious truth of God.
Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. That is, you and I are going to give an account of how we have handled the truth of God that's been given to us.
Now the next verse, but with me, Paul said it's a very small thing that I be judged of you or of man's judgment. We will read the word there. That's in the margin of man's day. I think it expresses the fact.
That since man was put in here on the earth and given the earth, God looks at him as having his day.
With God over ruling, which became very, very necessary. And it's still that way.
We've been 2000 years since the cross and if we take the four.
Days 4004, thousand years before it. All of that 6000 years.
Corresponds to six days of creation in the first chapter of Genesis, when God was working to prepare a place for his creature and put him upon it.
On the 7th day he rested.
Now let's go to second Peter the.
3rd chapter perhaps?
We're going to find two more days which I believe fill up the plan of God.
In the.
7000 years.
History this world is going to have.
Now I'm not setting dates by our calendar, but I fully believe that man's day has run nearly 6000 years, which is 6 days in God sites. Now in second Peter 3.
Verse 8 But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. Now here's God's scale that one day is with the Lord as 1000 years, 1000 years as one day. We've already been through that. God sets His scale about time there.
And then he says the Lord is not slack concerning his promise.
As some men count slackness, but as long-suffering to us word not willing that any should perish, but that all men that all should come to repentance. That's the heart of God and the gospel.
00:40:16
What a long-suffering God he has been. 2000 years as we think of it.
Without judging.
In cleaning the place up.
The world over ruling, that's true.
Trying to get people out of this world.
Because.
As they were leading as the Lord Jesus is going to the cross.
He says there in John we refer to it. I don't remember where it was the Prince.
Now he says, now is the judgment of this world. The world was judged at the cross. That is the sentence that's pronounced. This world is going to be cleaned up by fire, by fire. Now as the judgment of this world, the sentence has gone out, but the execution has not taken place. He says, Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out? But then he says, And I, if I be lifted up, we'll draw all unto me.
By the grace of God, we have been drawn to the Lord Jesus to confess Him as Savior, but we know Him as the coming King. Behold, the King shall reign in righteousness. We've just got turned. No, we better go on with the second Peter here.
To get a little bit more.
That all men should come to repentance. Verse 10 but the day of the Lord.
There is the second reference, the day of the Lord. We believe that there have been 6000 years that are counted as man's day, without opening full judgment upon man for his sin, nor even yet for the rejection of the King. But it's coming, and it will come, the day of the Lord.
Will come as a thief in the night.
This is written to professors, and the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation?
And godliness, now that's spoken to believers who are walking around on the earth today. What kind of people ought we to be in holy conversation? And godliness looking for? Again, God would point us here as he's talking about the day of the Lord that's coming, looking for and hasting unto another day.
God has told us much.
We believe that that thousand year Kingdom will be the day of the Lord. The first part of it will be the.
Tribulation period.
We don't know the timing of it, at least seven years more.
So without reading this.
12 verse further, we'll go back and read.
Isaiah 32.
Isaiah 32.
Behold, a king.
He was crucified on that pronouncement.
Art thou king then? And the Lord says, Thou sayest as much as say.
You're saying what I am.
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness.
But there are those that are associated with him.
And Princess shall rule in judgment.
If we had time to go to it, you could take your own time read.
00:45:04
Revelation, 1911.
There's that one that comes out on the White Horse, and then there are armies that came out with him on white horses. That's the heavenly company that's going to come down or be up over the earth and the Millennium, with Christ doing all the judgment, riding on a White Horse and all the heavenly company associated with Him, just to enjoy it, won't have one bit of judgment.
He suggested the whole world by the word that comes out of his mouth. Jesus had that has that power, and we'll have it then display it. But this time is when a king reigns in righteousness, and Princess shall rule in judgment. Then it says a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and it covered from The Tempest as rivers of water in a dry place, as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. That's a large description here.
That perhaps goes on with God thinking of his people all through this age, but we'll go back and close up.
In second Peter 3.
Verse 12 Looking for.
And hasting unto the coming of the day.
Of God.
The day of God.
The day of God follows the day of the Lord.
When he shall have put down in his reign all iniquity.
Maybe we should read those words in First Corinthians 15.
We find that there as well as in Revelation. Let's go back to First Corinthians 15, see if they can find those words.
Apply to the day of God.
And God will have his eternal rest. We'll try and get to that.
In Revelation 21.
1St Corinthians 15.
And there's then come a seat end.
Which verse 2424? Thank you.
Then come at the end.
When he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God.
Even the Father, now the Lord Jesus, does this in the Millennium. He puts everything out from the eye of God, cleans the whole thing up.
When he shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power. Now that's the 7th day. That's the day of rest for God. When Christ demands at work. You see, God has never defeated. It looked like he was completely whipped in the first man. But in John, again we read these words. All judgment is committed to the Son.
Because He is the Son of man, the 2nd man will take up the judgment of this world. He'll put down everything from the eye of God perfectly fix this place up. That's what it's saying here. Now we'll close up by going to Revelation 21.
Let's just read a few verses here because it's so beautiful. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. This is brand new.
The Millennium is going to be a renewed earth. This is a brand new and for the 1St heaven.
And the first earth were passed away, and there was number more sea. And I John saw the holy city described later on the chapter, which is the heavenly company. New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven prepares the bride adorn for husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven sing, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men.
00:50:10
And he will dwell with them. God gets what he set out to get.
He wanted the world and where he had communion with a company around him who were suited to that place, He's going to get it. And we'll say that righteousness dwells here as to man's day, the day in which we live, we'll say that righteousness suffers. As to the day of the Lord, righteousness will reign. But here we're reading righteous dwells. Let's go and read just a little bit.
Verse four And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.
For the former things are passed away. And he said unto me, And he had sat upon the throne, said.
Now notice what it says. Behold, I make all things new. I'd like to take an extra minute or two and go back to.
2nd Corinthians 5 and get the beginning of those old things.
Which I believe comes out in the Gospel Second Corinthians.
Five verse 17.
It's interesting how it reads.
You can read the rest of this, but I want to read the 17th verse. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, in Christ, he is a new creature or a new creation.
Old things are passed away.
Build all things are become new and all things are of God. That's the beginning.
And that's the reason we tried to stress that when the Lord comes, we're not going to get a new life. We get that in the gospel. You're going to get the new life. It starts right here as the soul and the Spirit gets taken care of here in the gospel. But Revelation 21 includes.
And then First Corinthians 15, the redemption of the body.
So back in Revelation 21 again.
Behold, verse five, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Right? For these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done.
It's the final act of judgment that God has to do to get this world fixed up, and the first one was pronounced at the cross when the Lord Jesus hanging there as a Savior.
Said it is finished.
That's the first judgment. That's where all of our judgment was taken care of at the cross.
When the 7th seal is opened you can go back and look it up. It's in the later chapter in Revelation.
Those judgments of the Tribulation are period or over. It says it is done. Here it says it again, and here it is completely done. God is, as it were, relieved that judgment is over, or God does not delight in judgment. Let's sing.
#22.
In the back of the book.
Thou Holy one and true.
Our hearts in the confined and in the circle of thy love, as brethren, as brethren we abide #22 in the back, please.
The Holy.
Water.
And all of my life.
JESUS
Children—W. Dear
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
And everyone we.
It's great to have everyone here this morning for the Sunday school.
And we would like to sing some songs. Hope everybody has a hymn sheet.
We've got a number of children's songs on the Backpage, but all the songs in this hymn sheet are are good. So which one would you like to sing first? Anybody have a choice here?
Number 42. Thank you, 42.
A little child of seven, or even 3 or 4.
May good to Christ, being all and the Lord all everywhere in my heart, create a favor. I want to rise the sun I draw.
That was such a nice song.
46.
OK, now this song here we generally sing.
In parts, there's a part for the girls where it says Andy calls and he calls all the girls and then there's a part for the boys and that's the next line where it says and he wants all the Bois 2.
And we'll all join in and the rest of the song together. OK? So we like to have the girls sing their part, the boys their part.
And the rest of us will sing.
The rest of the song OK 46.
Glad TITING.
And he calls and he calls all the chick IRL and he wants all the video by a student.
Anybody else have a song?
14 #14.
Have you been to Jesus?
When seeing how are you?
Watching the blood.
All of you.
Are you walking daily by the sand you never decided by you watched in the blood of the planet?
In the Christine by fire, watching the blood of the land.
What are you watching?
00:05:44
OK. Anybody else?
Maybe you'd like to sing a song that's not on this hymn sheet. We might know it.
Anybody have a song?
That they would like to sing a favorite that's maybe not on the hymn sheet.
Which one?
Would you yield not to temptation? OK, I think most know that one. At least we can sing a verse of it.
You'll not too tempted.
Have a song?
Which one 2929? OK.
Let's sing 29.
These are such nice songs.
And they're all about Jesus. That's what I like. OK, 29.
A ruler once came to Jesus.
It was great Lord again.
To the life of her last name and give you what I'll say getting honest big one and again.
If I'm sleeping.
If I'm straight on your hands, I'd rather question you. Ever get sick? I'm still drinking. Here's my mother's drinking horn again.
Well, I think we have time for one or two more.
Anybody else have a song?
OK.
The wise man, the foolish man. All right, let's think about the wise man. Now we can do actions with that, right?
The wise man, he built his house on the rocks, right?
Is that the way it is?
00:10:01
You sure about that?
I think I made a mistake, didn't I?
The wise man built his house on the rocks.
I thought it was the rock.
It is the rock. OK All right, Well, let's sing then about the wise man who built his house on the rock. You know, up in Maine some years back, there was a little boy. He was with a Boy Scout group, and they went out on a hike. And this little boy.
Somehow he wandered away out there in the woods from all the rest of the boys.
And he got lost.
He couldn't find his way back.
To the group and of course the others started looking for them. They couldn't find him.
And they become concerned.
Because Steven, he was nowhere to be seen. Where was Stephen? He was out there in those woods.
And the day was wearing on and.
Fred Stevens, mother and father. They were contacted about the fact that Steven.
He had wandered away and he was lost. And, you know, a search party was organized and they started to look for Steven.
And I searched.
For the rest of the afternoon.
And then through the evening.
And they couldn't find him.
He was nowhere to be seen.
So it got dark and they had to give up the search.
And they were so upset because Steven, he wasn't at their house. The mother and the dad, they were so concerned Stephen wasn't sleeping in his own bed like he should have been. Well, you know, at the crack of dawn next day out, they want to win, searching for Steven. And they looked and they looked.
And there were others involved. Many, many were searching.
And then they looked off in the distance.
And there they saw Stephen.
Do you know where he was?
He was perched on top of Big Rock.
There he was.
And.
As they approached Stephen, he just stayed on that rock.
And, you know, that's where he spent the night. And he said he actually went to sleep on that rock.
And when they asked Stephen whether he was afraid, well, he said he wasn't all that much afraid because he said as soon as he realized that he was lost and he couldn't find his way home that night, he said he looked for a big rock and he got up on the rock and he actually went to sleep on that rock that night.
You know, that Rock just gave him a sense of security. It seemed like a good place to be out there. It was a place.
Of security, a place of.
Safety.
Least Steven thought it was and.
Actually, Steven's parents, I guess they were even more concerned than he was about being lost. Well, I just remembered that story in connection with this song about the wise man who built on the rock. Because we know that the Lord Jesus is the rock and all who build their faith on it, Lord Jesus Christ will be safe.
Not only for time, but for eternity, forever. This is one of my favorite songs. So let's do the action, shall we, Boys and girls? You can just put your hem sheets to your side there and we'll start building, shall we? The wise man built his house upon the rock. The wise man built his house upon the rock. The white man, the rain came tumbling down. The rains came down as the floods came up. Rains came down as the floods came up.
The rains came down as the floods came up, and the house on the rock stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the sand. Foolish man built his house upon the sand. Foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the raised him tumbling down. The rains came down as the floods came up. The race came down, and the floods came up.
The rain standing down and the floods came up, and the House understand well.
00:15:05
Upon Christ to this rock, so they feel down to Christ to raise the rock. So let's give them a gentleman to Christ. Give it to the rock. It will be second point to the gentleman comes. You will be safe when the judgment comes. You will be safe when the judgment comes.
You will be second point of judgment comes if you have one price of rock.
So how do we act out being safe?
Mr. Nicolette, how do we do that? Just like this, OK.
Place of safety.
In the bosom, is that it? OK, you know, if you want to keep a little baby safe, you hold it close to your.
Chest, it wasn't like this. Your arms around it, it's a place of safety. Well, that's a nice way to act out that OK.
Perhaps we should look to the Lord for His help. So let's just bow our heads and close our eyes while we pray.
Well.
Have something I want to show you there in a minute. But you know, boys and girls.
The other day I was driving through.
Saint Louis.
I guess we were driving home from the skating rink and I noticed how many billboards they're up on the side of the highway as you drive through the city of Saint Louis. Big, huge.
Billboards, big signs and they have lots of lights.
To light up the Billboard so you can read what's on the billboards.
You know, I noticed many of these billboards were advertising.
All kinds of activities many were devoted to gambling casinos.
Others had to do with.
Various kinds of.
TV shows and.
Internet sites and.
And then quite a few had to do with cars and trucks, the latest models.
And these signs were so dazzling. And then there were some that advertised liquor.
But all of a sudden I saw a sign.
And it was just as big as all the rest. And it just had one word on that sign.
Would anybody know what that one word might be? There's two boys that live in Saint Louis.
Yeah, What was it? Jesus, That's right. You know, I just thrilled my soul when I saw that out there amongst all these other signs.
There was the name of Jesus.
And you know people.
Are trying to find happiness in all of these various things that are being advertised.
You know, whether it's cars or trucks or sports, there were signs about sports were gambling or alcohol.
Or Internet sites or whatever. But you know, I saw there that sign that said Jesus.
And I know that Jesus alone is the one who can satisfy boys and girls and older ones too. Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? You know he wants you to put your faith and trust in Him because.
We have an enemy, his name is Satan, and he wants us to go his way. You know, he says lots and lots of pleasures I will give to you today.
But are we going to go his way? You know his weight leads down to the pit.
Otherwise known as Hell or the Lake of Fire.
But Jesus says to you today, come unto me, I will give you rest.
Have you come to Jesus?
You know, at this conference.
I heard about a little boy.
I think he's only four years old.
I just thought about it when we sang that song, that first song about a little boy that's four years old, can enter into heaven through Christ, the open door. You know this little boy, he got on his knees.
During the Gospel meeting.
And he wanted to be sure that he was saved.
00:20:02
And I believe that He called upon the Lord to save him. And that's all it takes. It's so simple to be saved.
A little boy, a four. You don't even have to be 4, you can be 3.
It's wonderful, isn't it?
You know boys and girls, come to Jesus.
Don't listen to Satan.
Down here you can have your sins forgiven. Up there you can have a home in heaven. You can enjoy the Lord Jesus as your best friend here and now and forever. What a wonderful Savior he is.
His name is Jesus. Well, I hope that sign stays up there. I'm sure there's many that would like to see that sign come down, but I hope it stays right there because Jesus is the answer.
To the problems.
Of this world.
And the biggest problem this world has, and everyone of us has is sin. And Jesus is the solution to the sin problem.
It's wonderful to know the Lord Jesus.
Well.
I'd sure like to see these signs you know we were out in.
Aberdeen this past summer and just outside of.
American Falls, that's near Aberdeen. There's a huge sign up there and it's John 316.
And there's a brother in the assembly who maintains that sign. And there it is. Good news for everyone to see.
And it just rejoices my heart to see.
Something like that out there along the highway well.
What I had in mind, boys and girls, this morning was just to talk a little bit about.
Spots.
Spots.
What do you think about?
When you think about spots, anything come to mind?
Sin very good, you know, in the word of God.
I was just noticing recently many references. Many times we read about spots.
And I believe in most cases it refers to.
Sin sins. That was good, good answer. You know, back in Leviticus 13.
I want to be sure to.
Open up the Bible here. We read about spots and in this chapter.
These spots.
Are on the skin.
Of a poor man.
And you know, these spots are spots of leprosy.
Take the second verse, when a man shall have in the skin of his flesh arising a scab or bright spot.
Bright spot.
And so on. And as we read through this chapter, many times we read about spots and bright white spots.
And it is speaking to us of leprosy.
Now you know leprosy too, is a picture to us of sin.
Now in this conference we read in Jude about.
Spots in the feasts of charity or the Feast of love. You know this world, it has its occasions when perhaps it would like to raise money and help others in various ways, but.
Oftentimes there are practices that are not right, evil practices, simple practices. And we read that they are spots in those feasts of charity. And then two, we read about how that there is the garments that are spotted, spotted by the flesh, which speaks of sin, and they are to be hated. So spots are not good, you know, maybe even at this conference.
Somebody has had a problem.
With a spot under clothes? How about one of the boys or the girls here? Maybe as you were eating your dinner or your supper? Did you find that a little?
00:25:02
Piece of spaghetti or something made it drop down your shirt.
And.
It doesn't leave a very nice.
Design on that shirt, does it? I mean, it is a spot and you just don't appreciate that spot on your shirt, do you?
And I heard about one lady that apparently had a spot on her dress and she was in the bathroom trying to get that spot out of her dress and she did.
I think maybe it was a yellow spot.
But whether it's a red spot, a yellow spot, or here we read about bright white spots or black spots, you know, spots we don't like. They're not good. I know if I had a spot on my shirt right here, I wouldn't feel very comfortable standing up in front of you.
I wouldn't, and you probably wouldn't be too comfortable sitting there either if you had a spot on your nice white shirt. Well, you know, these spots are something that really make us feel uncomfortable, but.
How terrible it is.
To have spots in the presence of God. Holy God, you know, we don't feel comfortable having spots in the presence of the people around us. But what about a spot of sin?
One spot of sin.
Before a holy God.
Oh how awful. You know, God is of two pure eyes in the behold iniquity, and he cannot allow even one spot.
In heaven, not one, you know. It was one spot.
That put Adam and Eve out of the garden, one spot of sin.
We learned that Adam, he was disobedient, and by one man's disobedience we know that sin came into the world.
And death by sin, but.
If God cannot allow a spot of sin in the Garden of Eden, can he allow a spot?
Of sin in his paradise up there, not one.
What we can do about these spots?
Who do we ask to do that?
God.
And what is his name?
Jesus. That's right. Remember Jesus? That big sign that we talked about?
You know, somebody said Jesus could stand for Jesus. Exactly. Suits us sinners. And it's true. It's wonderful.
That the Lord Jesus Christ, if we ask Him, like he said, to wash away our sins, He will.
And He'll make us.
So white and clean so that not one spot remains, not one. But can we do it on our own?
Now this is where the bag comes in. Boys and girls thinking about what I got in this bag.
OK.
What?
Animal comes to mind.
When we talk about spots.
What kind of an animal comes to mind? OK, yeah.
OK, a lamb. Does a lamb have spots?
What do you think?
Something that runs around out in the jungles.
A Dalmatian. Very good.
He's got lots of spots, doesn't he? Good answer.
Leopard. A leopard. All right, all right. Now, did somebody else have another thought on an animal? What?
A cheetah? Good.
OK, now, a cheetah, a Dalmatian, a leopard, they all have spots, don't they? Well, you know, I brought one of these little creatures with me today. It's not a Dalmatian. It's not a cheetah.
But it's just a little fellow here.
And.
You know, in the Bible.
We read about an animal that talked. Does anybody know what it was that talked? What kind of animal?
Yeah, donkey. That's right, A talking donkey. It's the only animal I know about that talked in the Bible.
00:30:08
But I have in my hand here an animal that talks.
And if you listen very carefully, you'll hear what he has to say. Now listen, please. You have to strain your ears.
Can you hear that? What's he saying?
Not sure.
This is this boy here.
Do you know what he's saying?
OK, let's tell this boy.
Yeah.
What?
I think his father's losing his voice here. Hey.
Listen carefully.
Nobody knows.
Who's got good ears here?
I'm a leopard. Good. He got it right off all right.
Yeah, he's just trying to tell us I'm a leopard now. This little fellow here, he's got spots. He's so cute.
He's kind of lovable, but the point here is he's still got these spots all over him. And you know, we read over in Jeremiah chapter 13 about a leopard that has spots. And if we just turn over that chapter, we find something here that could be very, very sad news for us because here it tells us something about a leopard in its spots. It says here in verse.
23 and verse.
Chapter 13 of Jeremiah, Jeremiah 13 and 23 says here.
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?
Now, how would you answer that?
This question is here can the leopard?
Change his spots. Can you do that?
No, this girl here doesn't think he can. What do you think? No.
OK, we're going to get to that part. OK, the Lord Jesus can. OK, that's good, good answer.
The point here is that truly the leopard here, he cannot change his spots.
By himself.
OK.
The only way it's going to change his spots is if he grows, he gets bigger and then the spots will change, won't they? The spots will just get bigger and bigger and bigger. And that's how it is with boys and girls who.
That have spots of sin, you know, boys and girls that go on and sin. It only gets worse and worse. And it's so sad that we see boys and girls grow up who have never come to Jesus. And the older they get, the higher it is for them to change and earth to come to the Lord Jesus. And it's so sad. And little sins, they become big sins.
What does it tell us in this verse?
It says then may also do good that are accustomed to do evil. In other words, if the leopard could change his spots.
Then.
We could.
Do something about our sins.
We could.
Cleanse our sins, but the leopard cannot change his spots, and so that we cannot do anything about our sins in ourselves.
We cannot cleanse ourselves. It's very simple.
Now.
There's another animal.
That we're going to read about and this animal is.
00:35:04
A lamb.
You know, over in the Old Testament we read about how that they were to offer lamps morning and at night, and it says very explicitly that the lamb was to be without blemish and without spot.
Now who is the Lamb of God?
Can somebody here tell me who is the Lamb of God? Actually I brought one of these little.
Animals with me.
Here's our little lamb. OK?
Now it may look like he's got spots, but these are actually his eyes.
But who is the Lamb of God?
Can you tell me?
Do you know who the Lamb of God is?
That's right, Jesus, that name we saw on the Billboard. And you know God, it tells us, sent his dear Son into this world.
As the Lamb of God, and he came in here into this world and on the cross.
He died for sinners. He died for you and for me. And there was a soldier that took a spear. We know the story so well, but does it touch our hearts to think how that soldier, because he hated Jesus so very much, he buried that spear right in the side? He pierced the side of Jesus as He hung on the cross, and forthwith came throughout the blood and the water. Well, you know all these lambs in the Old Testament that were to be without spot?
They speak to us of the Lord Jesus, who as the Lamb of God, He offered himself without spot to God.
I'd just like to turn to first Peter.
Chapter one and here it tells us in verse 18, First Peter 118.
You know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold.
And so on verse 19, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
The Lord Jesus.
It tells us here.
Was as a lamb without blemish and without spot, and for that reason he could die for the spots.
Of all those who would put their faith in Him, their trust in Him. Now, how is it with you boys and girls? Do you still have spots on you?
No. Well.
It tells us very plainly, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And I used to have many spots of seeing upon me, but I can recall asking the Lord Jesus to wash my sins away in his precious blood, and he took all those spots away. They're gone. They're gone. And it's so wonderful, you know, in the Song of Solomon we read there about.
The bridegroom and the bridegroom is.
All taken up with the bride.
Or how he loves the bride. You know, he says there is no spot indeed.
And he wants the bride to come with him from the mountain of the leopards.
And you know, it's so wonderful to know that for those who in simple faith call upon the Lord and put their faith, their trust in his blood that was shed there.
We can say there is no spot.
On you, not one.
They're gone. They're gone.
We read over in Ephesians how that the Lord Jesus is coming.
And he's going to present to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing. You know, it just rejoices my heart to know that once I was a Sinner undone.
And justice push in, but now it's been made wider than snow in the precious blood of Jesus so that not one spot remains. So the leopard here, he can't change his spots. He can't remove those spots. But just like he said, the Lord Jesus can. And so I'm so thankful that the Lord Jesus.
00:40:08
Loved me enough that he would give his life and shed his precious blood.
To take away my spots. Now there's just one other thought, and that is that as Christians.
We are told that we need to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
And Paul writing to Timothy, he spoke of keeping the commandments or the word of God without spot.
Without rebuke.
You know, sometimes as Christians, we allow the world.
We do things that still are not pleasing to the Lord. Now that doesn't affect our salvation, because once we're saved, we're always saved.
OK.
We don't have to ask them for salvation again, but if we do allow sin, we should ask the Lord.
That he might.
Well, what we should do is confess it to him and tell him that we're sorry for what we did, for the bad word that we said.
Or whatever it might be so that we can enjoy the Lord Jesus.
We can enjoy his companionship and so that we can be a testimony and be useful for him in reaching out to others about us. Because if Christians are spotted by the world, we can't expect to attract to the Lord Jesus Christ. But.
The point here this morning is what I'd like to say, we've got these two, we've got the leopard.
We've got the lamp.
The leopard has spots.
Cannot be.
Taken away by the leopard, but the lamb has come. The lamb is without spot and without blemish.
And that's the Lord Jesus, And He on the cross shed his precious blood to take away the spots.
Of poor, lost sinners, guilty sinners. Well, I hope that each boy and girl here will put their trust in the Lord Jesus.
Call upon him.
Be saved, know it and enjoy it.
There's a little song, we all know it. What can wash away my sins? Why don't we have?
The boys asked the question, the girls give the answer. We'll all sing the chorus. OK, that's one that we all know, right? What can wash away my sins? OK, boys ask the question, girls give the answer, we all sing the chorus.
What can wash away my sins?
I'm going to pray and you know, as we pray, if there's one here that would like to be saved, you can just ask the Lord to save you now as we pray.
Gospel
Gospel—R. Thonney
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Dean, the Beginner Gospel meeting this evening.
Have you any room for Jesus?
He who bore the load of sin.
As he knocks and asks admission Sinner, will you let him in?
Room for pleasure.
Room for business.
But for Christ the crucified, not a place that he can enter.
And the heart for which he died.
Sing #17.
Have you?
Seen.
Sinner, will you let him in?
Let's pray. Gracious Father, we're still singing another hymn #6.
God in mercy sent his Son to a world by sin and dawn. Jesus Christ was crucified. It was for sinners. Jesus died. Maybe we can stand and sing #6.
God in murder?
Oh.
Sure.
It's a turn, first of all, to a verse in or a few verses in Second Corinthians chapter 4.
And in beginning with verse 3.
But if our gospel be hidden, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God notice the small G of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not.
Lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.
Who is the image of God should shine unto them?
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants, for Jesus sake, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness.
Hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Night My purpose is to speak.
On the knowledge of God and in Christianity we have been given the true knowledge of God. What is God like? You know, in the Old Testament times, as we were mentioning earlier today, there was a partial revelation of who God was in creation. There also is a revelation of the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of God.
00:10:22
And the firmament showeth his handiwork. It is all a testimony.
As to who God is and when you look at the universe.
And consider the vastness of it. You get a glimpse. You get an idea of the tremendous power of God that is displayed in creation. And let me remind you.
That it didn't take him a whole long time to make it all. He spoke and it was done. What tremendous.
Power to bring the universe into existence we have no.
Concept, really, of the vastness of it all, although I really believe that it has.
Its limits, it has its edge because it's part of creation, and creation is something that is measurable. But as we look at it, the billions and billions of stars and galaxies out there in space, you get a glimpse of how tremendously powerful our God is, because necessarily he's greater than the whole universe. We're not just talking about some.
Imagination.
Or fabrication of the human mind when we speak of God, no.
We're talking about a God who has revealed himself, and he reveals himself through different means. One is, as we've been speaking about, of creation.
And in the law of Moses, there was also a revelation of how holy and how just God is. God is holy, He's just. When they came out of Egypt, the children of Israel, they came to Mount Sinai.
And they agreed. All that the Lord hath said we will do.
They had no idea of what it entailed and God immediately said sit bounds.
On Mount Sinai, don't let anybody cross those. If anything crosses those bounds, even if it's a beast, he'll be immediately killed. Yes, God is holy.
In our society today, people think they can cross any line they want to. They don't understand who God is.
But it is not until the New Testament and we have the coming of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have the full revelation of God, and to me it is the most wonderful thing in Scripture.
The most wonderful thing that God has come into his own creation in the person.
Of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's read a few verses in Hebrews, first in the first chapter and then in the second chapter, because I'd like to share what I've enjoyed so much in recent times as to who our God is.
I find in our culture that we live in here in the United States and Canada.
That there is a tremendous departure from the true knowledge of God.
And as we are living in the midst of the culture here in the United States and Canada.
I don't think you and I can say that we're totally isolated and unaffected from of that culture.
I think we have to confess that we are affected by it. And what really scares me is you go into youth homes. Lord has opened the door next to Lawrenceville. Over in the city of Vincennes, there's a youth home where.
The youth are detained by the law for various crimes that they commit and as I mentioned this afternoon.
Anybody from 12 years up to 17 or 18 years old.
Are there, And it is astounding to me how little knowledge of the true God there is. Oh yes, they speak of Jesus. Oh yes, they speak of God. But the idea that they have in their minds, it is evident that they don't know the true God of the Bible. And I fear that there are those who are brought up in the meeting as we talk about it.
00:15:27
Those who hear the gospel and who have not opened their hearts to receive the true knowledge of God.
What a treasure, what a wonderful thing that this poor finite creature can know the infinite eternal God that made everything. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is. Let's read a few verses here in Hebrews chapter one. First of all, beginning with verse one God.
Who at sundry times and in diverse manners.
Spake in time passed into the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world's.
Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power.
When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
These verses show how God Himself has come into His own creation in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tremendous to think about it. The God who is greater, necessarily greater than the whole creation itself, has come into His own creation. How did He come? He was born.
Of a woman he was born of a virgin, a woman who had never known man. And it was through that means that God came into his own creation. He was born as a little baby.
He was laid in a Manger and to me it touches me to the core.
That when God came into his own creation, nobody.
Seemed to realize who he was.
You know, when there are things that happen, important things in this world, people make a lot of noise about it. I remember some years ago we were down in Bolivia, in the southern town of.
Yaquiva with the family and it happened to be the time here in the United States when the World Cup was being played.
And it was the last game.
And Brazil won over Italy, I think it was.
I'll never forget how.
The firecrackers ran out. And this is Bolivia, remind you.
It wasn't Brazil, but they were happy that the World Cup stayed in South America. And there was tremendous celebration through that whole city. And I mean, firecrackers that hurt your ears going off every now and then for at least two whole hours. That was the celebration for that event.
Were there any firecrackers that went off when Jesus was born?
Did anybody know about it?
The angels came down.
And they must have thought what happens, What happened to these people? Don't they understand who that is?
He was relegated toward the animals were there was no room for him in the inn. That's the way our God, our glorious God came into this world.
The angels had to go up to the mountainside to look for some shepherds.
Those poor people out in the mountainside to tell them that the Savior had been born.
00:20:02
That God had come into his own creation.
Do we realize what a tremendous fact the incarnation is?
You know the world celebrates it only once a year, but.
Brethren, we should celebrate it every day of our lives.
Our God, our glorious, eternal God, has come into this world in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we can know who God is because He came to our world. He walked here, and we have in this book inspired testimony as to who.
This person really is.
I don't want to go on to the next chapter because it's not my purpose to meditate.
Much on the fact that fact to go on to chapter 2 and we have another tremendous truth of the Gospel, and it is this.
That that God man who was here in this world.
Now has gone back into the glory of God. Not only has God come into this world.
In chapter one of Hebrews. But in chapter 2 a man has gone into the glory of God.
And I think it's so tremendous to put those two things together. Let's read it.
In chapter 2 and verse six, one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man? That thou art mindful of him, or the Son of man, that thou visitest him. Thou mayest him a little lower than the angels. Thou crownest him with glory and honor, and it set him over the works of thy hands Thou hast put all things.
In subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him he left nothing.
That is not put under him, but now we see. Not yet all things put under him, but we see.
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death.
Crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God, should taste death.
For every man. So here we have the Lord Jesus.
As a man and where is he? He's there.
In the glory of God, yes, there is one of our race.
There is a real living man of flesh and bones.
In the glory of God tonight, that too is one of the tremendous truths of the gospel, and it is through the Lord Jesus now that we have the full and true knowledge of who God is. You want to know who God is, what kind of a God we have? Get to know Jesus. You will know what kind of a God we have.
He is the image of the invisible God. Yes, God is necessarily invisible to the human eye because he is so vast, so great, so infinite.
But the Lord Jesus is the image, the visible.
God, we can see with our eyes the Lord Jesus.
And where is the Lord Jesus? He came to be a little lower than the angels. Angels in creation are higher order than men. They are more powerful according to scripture.
But the Lord Jesus didn't become an Angel. He passed the angels by to become a man.
To come right where you and I are, we can't say to God you don't understand God, how it means, how it feels to be a man. He knows he was a real man in this world.
And as a man, he could die. And this is the story of the gospel.
The Lord Jesus as God, as the eternal Son of God, could not die, but becoming a man, he could die as a substitutionary sacrifice for we who were sinners and as such condemned to death, and the Lord Jesus when he came to the end of his life here in this world.
00:25:24
We know the story. He was taken outside of that city of Jerusalem.
He knew full well what awaited him, and he allowed men.
To stretch out those hands and nail them to the cross, they gave the worst death possible to the Son of God.
They crucified Him. They crowned him with thorns. They hit him in the face. They spit in his face.
Every insult they could think of.
Was what they did to him.
It was a reflection of your heart and mind. Oh, you say. I don't think I would have done that to him. I wouldn't do that to anybody.
If you say that, let me tell you, you don't know your own natural heart. Naturally, every one of us is an enemy of God. And it is only the grace of God that can work in my heart and in your heart and bring us to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, you would have been there at that cross. Yes, you would have heaped those same insults on him because.
That is the natural condition of your heart and mind and if you think.
You are any better than that? Let me ask you tonight to repent, because you are not. That's the testimony of the Word of God. There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
We like to make differences and we are constantly measuring people. Some measure up to our standards perhaps, and others just don't make the standard and we don't accept them.
God says as he views the whole human race by nature.
There is no difference. I can stand by the worst criminal.
In the presence of Saint Louis tonight and say there is no difference, naturally speaking.
Between myself and that criminal.
The awfulness of his heart has come out into the open more than perhaps in mine.
But my heart is just the same. Again, I say, if you think you're any better.
And I think this is a real.
Hindrance for those of us who have been brought up in the meeting, so-called.
I was brought up in the meeting too.
God had to deal with me to make me realize.
That is true. There is no difference between me and anyone else in this world. That is our natural condition.
And so here we have the Lord Jesus suffering death, tasting death for every man. Yes, he wants everyone to be saved. He doesn't want anyone to be lost. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Let me ask you.
Are you saved?
I think everyone here has heard the gospel before.
But I'm not talking.
About merely having the appearance of being a Christian. It really searches me when I think of the Lord's own 12 apostles, that one of the 12 was a traitor, and what the Lord calls a devil.
Isn't that awful?
We got quite a few more than 12 here tonight.
Are you sitting there without God?
You know yourself, you have never made it real and personal in your own life.
I ask you with all my heart to get serious with God. You can fool me. You cannot fool God.
00:30:03
And if you're fooling anybody, you're fooling yourself worse than anybody else.
Don't do it any longer. Get straight with gut.
The Lord Jesus tasted death for every man. It doesn't mean that every man will be saved, because salvation comes by faith in Christ, and if you do not exercise personal faith in the Lord Jesus, you will not be saved.
I'd like to go back now to the book of Romans chapter one.
And read there because we have quite a bit about the knowledge of God in this chapter.
We'll start with verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1St, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.
And unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.
Even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse because that when they knew God.
They glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened, professing themselves to be wise.
They became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like unto corruptible man, and to birds and four footed beasts and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.
Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator?
Who is blessed forever? Amen.
For this cause.
God gave them up unto vile affections, for even their women did change the natural use.
Into that which is against nature, and likewise also the men leaving the natural use.
Of the woman burned in their lust one toward another, men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves there that recompense of their error which was meat, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.
God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.
Being filled with all unrighteousness fornication.
Wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers back fighters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents without understanding.
Covenant Breakers without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
00:35:01
What an awful dark picture we have painted for us here in this chapter, and yet it seems to fit the picture of what we see around us here in the United States of America, this country where the Gospel has gone out so freely for so many years.
Where the light of the knowledge of God has brought such prosperity and material blessing to this country.
But now this country is turning away from the true knowledge of God.
And it's awful the direction it goes. I'm sure you've noticed as we read over these verses how it is down, down, down.
Paul here and I want to go over these verses briefly. It says I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. The good news is the news of who our God is. Yes, God is a savior God. God is light and God is love. His light shows you what you are. It shows you your sin, and not one sin will ever be allowed to taint that holy city above.
If you're going to be there in that day, you have to deal with God about the matter of your sins.
And you have to deal with him on his terms. You do not set.
The basis of judgment. People think that when they get to the judgment seat that they're going to answer back to God.
They have another thinker coming that will not be so. No, you are going to be judged at God's bar of judgment, not your own thoughts.
I often give the illustration in South America when we lived in Bolivia, supposing I was arrested for doing something, perhaps that was legal in the United States but is illegal in Bolivia, and I'm taken to court. And I say to the judge, I said, Sir, this is fully allowable in the United States of America. What would he say to me? He would say you are standing.
In Bolivia, and you will be judged by Bolivian law. United States law may be that way, but you are not in that position. And so you and I have no right to establish the basis of judgment. God has established it. And when you stand before God, it will be on the ground of his norms, not yours.
Not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation. I marvel as I travel around and meet different people who have gotten saved.
And it's always different. Everyone is different. How God reaches into the hearts of terrible criminals at times and changes them sometimes. They're religious people, extremely religious.
Remember a lady in the Dominican Republic that we stayed in their home. She and her husband were believers at that time, gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But before she had gotten saved, she was Catholic and a very devout Catholic. And she said, I'm not going to let those evangelicals get a hold of me. They're not going to persuade me. And so to be able to defend herself.
Against those evangelicals, she decided to get the Catholic Bible and start to read it so that she would have a basis to stand on before the evangelicals. And she got reading in the book of Hebrews, and she came to those verses that said.
Every priest standeth daily offering oftimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.
Said well, I don't quite understand that. I'd better take it to my priest and ask him what it means.
And she did it, and the priest could not explain it. And as she said later, she said those two verses took me square out of the Catholic Church. How God uses one and another strongly against the Gospel. He reaches down in tender grace to work in the heart of one and another. Has He worked in your heart? He's.
00:40:15
Striving tonight, I really feel the Spirit of God is present here to strive with some of our dear young people, our dear children, perhaps some older ones too, that have really never made it real in their own souls with God. God is a living God. God is a real God. God can be known through the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tremendous.
To get to know our God through the gospel. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God and to salvation to everyone that believeth. To the Jew 1St and also to the Greek. Then he says in verse 17. Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from grace, from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Oh yes, in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed. Are you righteous? The scripture says there is none. Righteous. No, not one.
How then can I be righteous before God?
By faith in Jesus Christ and these this theme is taken up in the book of Romans. Majorly the matter of justification by faith. How can I be right with God?
Well, there was a standard, a perfect standard of justice in the Old Testament. It was the law of Moses that no one could keep that law.
And so now there is another completely distinct way in which we can be made righteous before God. Number one, to accept God's testimony when he says you are a poor, lost, condemned Sinner. Have you accepted God's testimony #2 when God says Jesus is the Savior of sinners?
To accept God's testimony, if you accept in simple faith God's testimony, God says I justify you, I make you righteous, not on the ground of our works, but on the ground of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Being justified freely, it tells us in chapter 3.
Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Yes, God.
Justice had to be satisfied, and it was. When the Lord Jesus hung on that cross, He paid in full the price of our redemption. I say that God would not have raised him from the dead if there had been the least little question left unresolved.
It was all taken care of and God was not only satisfied with what Jesus paid on Calvary, he was glorified by it and as a result He raised him from the dead as the testimony that the price has been paid in full. Now you and I, by simply believing God's testimony can be made righteous. Oh what a wonderful thing being justified by faith.
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the story of the gospel. The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel by faith, from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. But it also says in verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness. In other words, people think that God is a God of grace and of love. They're right.
He is.
But they sometimes forget that God is also a God.
Of holiness and of truth. And that that does not excuse unrighteous behavior. And as in the first meeting of this conference, we heard about those who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness. In other words, make the fact that God is gracious an excuse to go on sinning. God is gracious. He'll forgive me. Let's go on and have a fling.
00:45:03
The most awful condemnation is given to that kind of mindset, and if there is someone who has that mindset here tonight, again, I want to ask you to repent, to change your mind on that matter because it is extremely serious. This is the norm in the United States of America that we live in, but it is not the norm of God's Word. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven.
Against all unrighteousness, ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness. Notice they're holding the truth.
Oh yes, we have the truth, but they're holding it in unrighteousness. Now notice verse 19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, For God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
In other words, creation is a testimony that goes out all over the earth. So often when I'm speaking to souls about the gospel, they say, what about the heathen that have never heard the gospel? Oh yes, they've heard the gospel. It may not be the gospel of the grace of God that you and I have heard and are responsible for.
No. It may be what is called the everlasting gospel, the testimony that goes out through creation.
I've seen pictures of some of the savages in the jungle of Bolivia, and those tribes are generally going down in number. They kill each other off little by little if they're not reached in time.
And they don't have the gospel. They've never heard the name of Jesus. But those savages all have a consciousness of a supreme being. The things that are made are a testimony to the existence of a maker.
So that they are rendered inexcusable. The time comes when every man, woman and child will stand before the throne of God.
Inexcusable.
No, God gives testimony, and He gives ample testimony to everyone.
But you and I are tremendously responsible because we live in a land where the truth of the gospel of Christ has been given out in a fuller measure, perhaps, than in any other time in the history of the world.
What a privilege to live in this time. What an awful responsibility to not receive the true knowledge of God that we have in the gospel.
Because that verse 21 when they knew God, yes, there was a time when they did know God. They glorified him not as God, neither were thankful. God is a being that you need to glorify and also you need to be thankful to Him. Oh how good God is. He sends his reign on the just and on the unjust.
God is no respecter of persons. He loves the world, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Yes, they knew God, but they did not glorify Him as God. Neither were thankful. They became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Here goes.
The beginning of this downward path that is so evident in our country, the United States of America.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
Of and said, if somebody if I was walking along a path through the forest and I picked up a watch off the path and say, you know what, this watch was not made by anybody.
It was just an explosion out here in the middle of nowhere, and this watch came out of it.
00:50:02
You'd say you fool.
I know you would laugh at me, but when man looks at the tremendous creation.
And says that nobody created it, professing themselves to be wise.
They became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God.
You're not going to corrupt God. No, He is the uncorruptible God.
Into an image they'd like to corruptible man, to birds, to four footed beasts and creeping things. Notice the decline.
They give up the true knowledge of God. They give up the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God.
And they immediately replace it with other idols, sometimes of men. Corruptible man to birds.
At least they're up in the air, but then it comes down to four footed beasts and then it grovels in the dust to creeping things. He goes down lower and lower in his declension.
Awful to think about, but this is what is happening in this country.
Are you being affected by the culture that we're passing through?
I'm amazed at the idolatry that is taking place in this country.
You say What do you mean by idolatry? I mean sports stars.
I mean music stars.
And it's down in Argentina. The other day, as we were going down from Buenos Aires toward La Plata, my brother picked us up at the airport and took us. He showed me the monument beside the road.
It was a place where a singer, an Argentine singer, had died in a car accident. He was so loved that people make pilgrimages there to see the place where he died. Idolatry.
They give up the true knowledge of God and your heart and mind longs for some object, and if you do not embrace.
God's man, the Lord Jesus Christ, you are going to embrace an idol of some sort or another. No, it may not be one made like an image, but it will be a man or perhaps even an animal. People give more importance to animals than they do to human beings today.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.
And so here comes the corruption of the body.
You know man is made.
In three parts, spirit, soul and body, we are made in the image of God, and God is triune and so is man, spirit, soul and body. And in this list you may have noticed that three times it says that God gave them up in the first case in verse 24.
He gives them up and it's the body that's affected.
In verse 26 for this 'cause God gave them up unto.
Vile affections. It's the soul that's affected. And in verse 28, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. That's the spirit that's affected.
God is slowly giving man up because they have left the true knowledge of God. I think it's extremely solemn to think that this is the direction our country is going. The embracing of the homosexual agenda in this country, the defending of it has been an abomination to God and he will not.
Tolerated. It's going to be judged. Those verses in the book of Jude, Speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah, says he made that an example of what would happen to those who live ungodly lives.
00:55:05
God judges sin, and if you refuse to leave off with your sin, you will taste the judgment of God in all its awfulness.
God gives up people to a reprobate mind to do those things that are.
Not convenient. No, it's not convenient to go on sinning. It has its disastrous effects.
And God lays it out here so that we can realize this is the culture.
We're passing through, but notice how far it gets.
In verse 29, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, backbiters, haters of God.
Not only have they given up the true knowledge of God, but anytime God is mentioned, there's abject hatred expressed toward Him.
Despite full proud.
Boasters. Inventors of evil things. Disobedient to parents without understanding. Covenant Breakers without natural affection. Implacable. You know what that word means? Means you can't reason with them.
The other day when I was there in Argentina, a brother who was a builder was going to build a wall between two neighbors, and we happened to go out with them and I found them, the two neighbors in a royal debate out in the back.
I mean, the brother found him that way. We came on and saw a little bit of it, but he told us that the one neighbor who was not in agreement for building that wall, he was not financing it either. But.
The neighbor that had contracted the brother to come in said, OK, I'm sorry, forgive me, but we've already got this job going. And the other man says I will not forgive. You can't imagine people living so close and being implacable. That's characteristic of the world we live in. Unmerciful. And then notice verse 32.
Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same?
But have pleasure in them that do them.
Can I say something?
I think it's pretty hard. The TV screen makes verse 32 possible. Maybe you say I don't do all that garbagey stuff.
But do you sit in front of a TV screen to have pleasure in seeing those that do them?
Think about it. That is the picture that's painted in departure from God. Oh, what a wonderful thing it is to know the true God, the living God, the eternal God, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dear young people, have you accepted this God into your life? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart?
We have the true knowledge of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turning from that, If you have heard the gospel from your youth up and you have not accepted it and you are turning away to go in a different direction, this is the picture that is painted and what is before you is eternal fire. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah?
It was destroyed by fire and brimstone. They guess. Archaeologists guess where that city was located, but there's not even any ruins. I understand that of that city left.
What? You know what brimstone is? Brimstone. In the Spanish translation, it's sulfur. Big gobs of sulfur came down and hit people and burned that whole city out of existence. That's the example that God gives to those who will live ungodly. Tonight is a time of decision.
01:00:03
Do you want to go the world's way?
Is there a tendency on your heart to go that direction? I ask with all my heart, along with all our dear brothers and sisters that are here present. Don't go that route. Turn tonight, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Gospel
Gospel—J. Hyland
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Quiet, prayerful spirit of the Saints of God before a gospel meeting, because we have very, very serious and real issues to take up tonight from the word of God. And I would just beseech you at the beginning of this gospel meeting that if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, that you continue to be in prayer as the word of God goes forth for this next hour. Because I believe that when the Word of God is presented and the good seed of the Word is sown.
That the more prayer there is, the more blessing. You know we can over water the plants in a garden and drown them, but we can't over water the good seed and so do brethren, please tonight continue to pray for the gospel as we begin this serious hour together. I'd like to begin this evening with hymn #19 on the gospel hymn sheet. O Christ in thee my soul hath bound.
And found in thee alone the peace, the joy I sought so long.
The bliss till now unknown, now none but Christ can satisfy.
None other name for me. There's love and life and lasting joy Lord Jesus found in thee hymn #19. I'm going to suggest that we stand up to sing this hymn and if someone would please start it.
Oh Christ and thee, my soul by man.
Is the joy.
Of God.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 2.
Luke's Gospel, chapter 2 and verse 10. And the Angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. And then in Ephesians chapter 2.
Ephesians chapter 2, beginning with the second word of verse 4.
God who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us. Titus chapter 2.
Titus chapter 2 beginning about the middle of verse 13.
The Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us. And one more portion in Hebrews chapter 2.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 3. How shall we escape?
If we neglect so great salvation.
00:05:03
Well, as I say, these verses bring before us the gospel message.
That we will, by the grace of God, seek to present in some measure tonight from the pages of this blessed book. And aren't we thankful tonight for the word of God? That we can turn to this book? And we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every word of God is pure, that every word recorded here by inspiration comes from God, and that it is the truth of God. We don't have to wonder as we open this blessed book.
Whether part of it is true, whether this statement is true, but we reject this statement? No. We can rest with assurance on the precious word of God tonight that lives and abides forever, the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, but the Word of our God shall stand forever.
The infidel Voltaire died in 1778 and before he died he made a prediction.
He said that within 100 years of his death, the word of God would have disappeared from the face of the earth and that Christianity would just be a part of history.
But you know, God had something else in mind.
Men have tried to eradicate this blessed book from the face of the earth, but will they ever do it? Will they ever get rid of this book? No, because the original is forever settled in heaven.
But Voltaire made this stunning prediction.
Within 50 years of his death, the Geneva Bible Society bought his home, the very home in which that infidel lived, and they bought it as their first headquarters.
The very press that turned off propaganda against the word of God.
With a very press that was used to print some of those first Bibles that the Geneva Bible Society printed within 50 years of his death.
Oh God is sovereign and God is gracious, and God desires that the word of God go forth.
In Blessing to the Lost, oh how long-suffering God is tonight. And the very fact that another Gospel meeting is announced and the very fact that we're sitting here in these seats on the 24th of November in the year 2000 is a proof of what's in the heart of God. It's a proof of His long-suffering. It's a proof of His patience. It's a proof of His grace. Do men want a proof that God is long-suffering every time they tear a calendar page off or turn it over?
Put a new one up for another year. It's a proof of what is in the heart of God.
I didn't mean to eavesdrop.
But as I was sitting here in this room before the Gospel Meeting.
I heard a brother who is 100 years of age to another brother.
That beautiful verse in Peter, He's long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish. Have you heard that verse before? You probably have, and you've heard it again now he's long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
And I would like, just for a moment, to say something.
To the parents of young people here, or to someone in this audience who belongs to the Lord Jesus.
And you're praying for a loved one. You're praying for a family member.
You're praying for an acquaintance. You're praying for a friend, maybe a neighbor that you've had opportunity to witness to.
Sometimes we quote the verse in Peter like this. He's long-suffering, not willing that any should perish.
And that's true. He's long-suffering to the loss. Tonight, if you're lost and in your sins, God is long-suffering to you. But that's not what the verse says.
It says he's long-suffering to us word and he knows that there's a mother, maybe a father, maybe a grandparent in this room tonight, maybe someone who invited you to this gospel meeting because they love you and they're concerned about your soul. And God knows that that person is praying. He knows Christian mother, Christian father that you're concerned and he's long-suffering to us word knowing that we have loved ones.
That we'd like to see saved loved ones that we'd like to see in the glory. This verse was brought home to my own soul when we got a call some months ago from Newfoundland.
00:10:02
To inform us that my father's, my wife's father had been diagnosed with colon cancer.
And that he was facing immediate surgery and that after that there would be a long series.
Of treatments.
And it caused us to fall on our faces before the Lord. And I must say for myself, it was a new experience, having been brought up in a Christian home with generation after generation knowing the Lord.
To all of a sudden have one so close.
Who didn't know the Lord Jesus and as far as we know, to this very moment.
Still has never bowed the knee.
But to be able to fall on our faces in prayer and to claim this precious verse, He's long-suffering to us. Word not willing that any should perish. But oh, tonight we want to plead with the lost. God wants to plead with you. Tonight God desires your blessing and He is indeed long-suffering to you. And again, the very fact that you're sitting in one of these seats tonight is a proof.
Of the love that's in the heart of God.
And we began with this verse in Luke's Gospel chapter 2. And we know the context, don't we?
This is a portion that is often read at this time of year in connection with the Incarnation.
Of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, coming as a man here into this world, born a babe in Bethlehem. Manger and the message taken to those shepherds out on the hillside, caring for those sheep, those shepherds who when they saw the heavens lit with glory.
They were afraid, but oh, what a wonderful message was given to them that night.
Fear not, Isn't that a contrast?
When we look around the world we live in, when we look around in the very country.
That we find ourselves in tonight, Is there a lot of fear? Oh, it tells us that this is a day when men's hearts are failing them for fear.
And looking for those things that are coming on the earth. Because men, even in high places tonight, recognize that they are dealing with an interplay of social and political and economic forces that are far, far beyond their control. And they know that the bubble has to burst sometime. They know that the rope has to give. And they're afraid. The trouble is, they're not seeking the answers from the word of God. They're not looking to the one of whom we've been singing that can fill and satisfy the soul with love and life and lasting joy.
Why are men afraid tonight? Because they're trying to arrange everything by their own devices, and their finding it's not working out. Oh, they sign a piece packed here. They have an agreement here. They do this, They do that. They stabilize the money market. The stock market's stable for a little while, but then something happens and men's hearts are indeed failing them for fear. But oh, tonight the message is fear not. Because for the Christian, it says he's not given us the spirit of fear.
But of power and of love, and of a sound mind. And we see these things developing in the world around us, in the country in which we live. Are we concerned? Yes, we are concerned. And I believe for every believer it's good to be an intelligent bystander and to have discernment of the times. But all we don't need to have our hearts fail us for fear. He hasn't given us the spirit of fear. He says, fear not. I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine. Can anything change that?
Oh no, we rest in that tonight. And that's the peace and the rest of soul that God desires for every Sinner. And so he said to the to the shepherds, Fear not, Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.
They were announcing the coming of Christ into this world, and tonight we're announcing the gospel message. We have good tidings of great joy to announce more than just the incarnation of the Son of God, because as we go on in the Gospels, we find that there was more to be accomplished in the Lord Jesus coming into this world than just the incarnation of the sun. Oh, he came that he might give himself on Calvary's cross.
And you have this expression, great joy, in connection with at least three things in the Gospels. We have it here in the announcement of his birth, in Bethlehem's Manger, and later on, after the Lord Jesus had been crucified, taken down from that cross, and laid in a tomb.
00:15:04
There were those who came very early on the first day of the week, and when they heard the news, he is not here. He is risen. What did they do? They returned and they told the disciples, and it says they returned with great joy. Oh, what joy it is to announce tonight a risen, glorified Savior. I love that hymn we sometimes sing on an occasion like this. There is a savior on high in the glory.
A savior who suffered on Calvary's tree. A savior is willing to save now as ever.
His arm is almighty, his love great and free. Oh come now to Jesus. That dear loving Savior received him this moment, and peace shall be thine. And so they return from the Sepulchre with great joy. If they had gone and found the body of the Lord Jesus the way they expected, would they have returned from the Sepulchre with great joy? Oh no. But when they found an empty tomb and those glorious words, they returned with great joy.
And then we find, I believe, it's in the last chapter of Matthew. After the Lord Jesus had blessed them, he lifted up his hands and his feet left this scene, this globe, and he returned to the glory. He returned to the right hand of God. And what does it say? They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy because he not only rose from the dead, but he ascended. And as we have just quoted the words of that precious gospel, him, he's on high.
In the glory, oh, as we speak of these precious things together, I know I look into the faces of many thrilled souls as we speak of the exaltation of Christ.
But what about you tonight, if you're lost tonight?
I know that these things do not thrill your soul, but we have good tidings of great joy to present. That's really what the gospel is, the gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
Is it not good news?
And yet, you know men will go to the news stands.
On the street corners and in the drug stores and wherever a newspaper is sold and they will pay good money.
To buy pages and pages of new Sprint filled with all kinds of bad news.
And they will scan those headlines and they will read those articles, sometimes in great detail, and shake their heads and wonder where it's all going to end. We know where it's going to end. It's going to end in judgment. But men will pay good money to read all kinds of bad news. And yet, when the story of the gospel is presented, when the word of God is opened and we seek in some measure to present the good tidings of great joy, people turn away.
And they don't want it. They don't have time for that.
It must grieve the heart of God to no end when boys and girls and young people and men and women sit in meetings like this.
And the word of God is read, and the word of God is quoted.
And the Lord Jesus is spoken of.
And when the hour is over, they turn away and go out the door.
And they do nothing with the message that they have just heard. If we were to read on here, we would find that these shepherds, they not only receive this wonderful message, but they went to see the results. They believed the message. Did they say, Oh well, we'll go in the morning? Did they say, oh, well, we'll have another day and then we'll find out if what the angels told us is really true. No, they rose up and they went.
And they found, as the Angel had said, And tonight, if you come to the Lord Jesus in simple faith, in repentance, you'll find that the message is true.
An infidel who spent much of his life discrediting the word of God said this, these words on his deathbed. My greatest fear is that the Bible is true after all.
I spoke of Voltaire a few moments ago.
And the testimony of the nurse who attended Voltaire's deathbed was absolutely shocking. And she said not for all the wealth of Europe would she ever again attend the deathbed of an infidel.
00:20:06
You can live by infidelity, but you can't die by it. And down deep in your soul, you have a God consciousness that tells you that while you would like to discredit what the Word of God says, you know that there's something after this life. You know, deep down.
That you have a soul that's going to live on in one of two places.
It's not all over when we draw that last breath.
In a sense, it's really only the beginning.
You have opportunity to be saved tonight. You may not have opportunity tomorrow evening. All you say. There's a Gospel meeting announced on my schedule card. We have no guarantee that that Gospel meeting will ever take place.
I said the gospel is good news.
And that's literally what it means.
Ancient history will tell us that in the days of early Greece.
It was a series of a number of walled cities, sometimes great distances spanning between them, and often those cities would be at war with one another.
And not only so, but sometimes those battles were held a great way off from the city.
And there would be a watchman on the wall.
And he would be watching for something in the distance. He would be watching for a runner. He would be watching for a messenger as the battle raged out on the battlefield. Because as soon as it was determined how the battle was going, that runner was sent to the city. And as he ran toward that city, he would be shouting, and the watchman on the wall would strain to hear what the runner was shouting.
And oh, how glad he and the inhabitants of that city were.
As that runner approached and he was shouting gospel, gospel, gospel.
It was the proclamation that the victory had been won. And oh, tonight the gospel is that Christ died, He was buried, but he rose again the 3rd day. According to the scripture, he's won the victory, he's risen from the dead, and now the gospel goes forth. This is the good tidings of great joy. And for the few minutes that are left in this gospel meeting, do open your ears.
Do open your ears to receive what God has to say to you.
From this blessed book.
We read a verse in Ephesians chapter 2.
We've spoke of good tidings, of great joy, but here we find it says God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us. Oh, tonight we're Speaking of a love, a divine love that is beyond any human expression of love, a love that has expressed itself in a way beyond any expression of human love.
And where does that love flow from? It flows from God, because, as we often quote on an occasion like this.
And I delight to quote it again. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And as you trace through the word of God, how often you read of His love? Can there be any mistake, as you read the Scriptures to the earnest seeker that God is a God of love?
Oh, tonight the love of God passeth. Understanding it passeth. Knowledge it passes telling. But oh tonight, if you could just get one inkling of the love of God, if you could just get one taste of his love, it says God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Many years ago, on this very continent.
There was a principal chief of the Cree Indian tribe. His name was Crooked Arm. I won't attempt to pronounce it in Indian in Cree, but his name translated was Crooked Arm. History tells us that he received that name because in battle he was wounded, a wound that left his arm crooked and twisted for the rest of his life.
00:25:18
Crooked Arm the chief, was used to waging war on his enemies, particularly the Blackfoot tribe.
It was a somewhat savage chief, as history, as history recounts.
But he did have a son. One son.
A son that he loved more than anything else, he loved his son.
And one day.
Crooked Arms sent his son with another young Brave down to a nearby valley to tend some horses that were being pastured there.
The father, when he sent these two men, young men, off together, he didn't realize.
That the other brave that was sent with his son harbored a lot of jealousy in his heart.
And when they were alone in that valley, Oregon, so they thought.
The young brave killed in cold blood.
The son of Crooked Arm the son.
That his father loved.
He brought a report back to his father.
That his son had been killed by an enemy.
But as carefully as he planned his deceit, he was found out.
And the father of that son was angry.
He vowed that he would get revenge on that young brave and that he would pay with his life. But before the opportunity arose, something else happened amongst that tribe. A missionary came amongst them with the story of God's love, and that missionary very faithfully presented the gospel.
Told of God who sent his Son into this world to die for sinners. He told of the Lord Jesus who came in lowliness and grace.
Who walked through this world in humility, the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief the despised and rejected Son of God. He told the story how that at the end of his life they took the Lord Jesus, brought him to pilots judgment hall and put him on trial.
How they mocked him. How they scourged him.
And then, at the end of it all, took him outside the walls of Jerusalem and had him nailed to a Roman cross.
And he stressed how, as the Lord Jesus hung there, he looked on the very ones that had crucified him.
And he said these glorious words, Father, for they know not what they do.
He told of the Lord Jesus in those hours of darkness bearing the penalty for sin, at the hand of a holy God. He told of the Lord Jesus at the end of it all, bowing his head and saying, Father into thy hand. I commend my spirit, giving up his precious life. He told of the soldier who with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came their out blood and water. He told how loving hands then according to the prophecies of Scripture.
Took the Lord Jesus down from that cross and laid him in a tomb. He told of that glorious resurrection morning when the Lord Jesus came forth.
He told how the Lord Jesus was now in heaven as the savior of sinners.
And as he presented this glorious truth.
Crooked Arm listened with rapt attention, and the word of God pierced his soul.
And the love of God touched his heart.
But the day came when that brave chief was out riding scouting with some of his Warriors.
And as they came to a precipice and overlooked what lay beyond, they saw a man in the distance.
And as Crooked Arms scrutinized that man, he realized that this was the very brave.
That had so treacherously murdered his son.
Some time before.
You can just imagine what must have went through that man's soul.
00:30:00
He reached down, and he took his tomahawk out, and with all the speed that his horse could muster, he raced toward that man.
With his own men following.
He pulled up in front of that guilty brave.
He stared him in the face.
With a very stoical cold expression.
That Brave knew that he was guilty.
He knew that this father knew what he had done to his son. And if there's someone here and you're trying to hide from God, you think God doesn't know your guilt of sin? No, I want to tell you he does. All things are naked and open under the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
That Indian stood there, trembling.
Waiting for that tomahawk to come down and to take his life.
The chief spoke.
He said. You killed my son, didn't you?
There was number use denying the truth.
Yes, he confessed he had killed Crooked Arms. Son, are you willing to confess you're a Sinner tonight?
With the mouth, confession is made, Romans tells us.
This Indian chief also said to this brave, he said.
Being guilty and having confessed your deed, you deserve to die under the laws of the Korea Indian Tribe. Yes, he realized that he was a condemned man, guilty of death.
I don't know if you can picture the scene in your mind's eye.
But just imagine.
That chief as his face softened with all the love of God.
And he put down his tomahawk, and he said to that brave he said, as God has forgiven me, my sins.
So I forgive you.
It's just a feeble picture. It's just a pale reflection of what we're Speaking of here. The Father sending the Son to be the savior of the world. God showing that great love. Not just a love, but a great love. His great love wherewith he loved us. Has that love touched your heart tonight? Does that love mean something to you?
God has proved his love in a tremendous way. Tonight, God doesn't just tell us that He loves us. Sometimes the boys and girls and we who are older enjoy it too. We sing that little gospel chorus. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so, and that's certainly true. The Bible does tell us that God loves us.
But oh, the Bible also tells us that God has proved His love in the giving of his Son. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we may live through Him. Do you doubt the love of God tonight?
It's a solemn question, isn't it?
Do you doubt the love of God tonight?
If you doubt the love of God tonight, you have never had your eyes turned to the cross. And seeing the sacrifice of Calvary, you have never understood that God so loved the world that he gave, because this was brought out already today. In these meetings, God is a giving God. Sometimes people tell us they love us, sometimes they make great promises, but they never follow through. But God.
Has not only told us of his love, he's not only made promises, but he has followed through.
He has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. And when you look to the cross, can you doubt that God loves you?
Not if you've really entered in to what it must have meant, at least in some measure entered in to what it must have meant for God descend the one of whom it could be said prophetically. I was daily His delight, the one who, when He came here in incarnation the heavens, could open up in all heaven, look down, and gaze on that blessed one in this world, and a voice declare, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
00:35:07
The one of whom the heavens could open up again to receive that Blessed One back having accomplished.
The work of eternal redemption, the one who could say with the utmost certainty and confidence, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And oh, tonight God is offering salvation through this blessed One. He's offering a free gift because again, God's heart is such that he desires to give and to give freely. I say to give freely because sometimes people give and.
Though they may not express it, deep down in their heart, they're hoping to get something in return.
Well, it's true. God does want something in return. He wants our heart's affections. My son, give me thine heart. But divine love is such that it gives. It loves when there's nothing lovable in the object. It gives when there's no response from the object, it flows out consistently. Divine love, human love, it ebbs and flows according to the response of the object. But all tonight, divine love flows out, no matter what.
It freely gives.
Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish War.
As a Colonel had quite a number of men under him, and.
Due to conditions.
In his camp, many of those men became very ill, and it was feared that many of those men would be lost, not in battle.
But on beds of sickness?
And so he made an appeal.
To Clara Barton, who was the, at that time, the Minister of the Red Cross Society?
For some supplies.
For some things he needed, and he offered to pay a good sum for those provisions. The answer came back very definitely that there would be no provisions given. Oh how distressed he was. He hated to see his men languishing on beds of sickness.
Because of the lack of proper food and medication.
And he couldn't understand why his appeal was turned down.
In what seemed like such an uncompassionate way.
And then he realized what the difficulty was. The Red Cross wasn't selling medications and supplies. They were giving it, and he was told to simply ask, and he would receive not to offer money. And realizing his mistake, he immediately sent a request to the Red Cross. And immediately on reception of that request, all that he requested and more was sent.
And the lives of many of those men in that army camp were spared. He had to realize he couldn't pay. And all the Sinner tonight has to realize that they can't pay. We can't pay for our sins. I could never pay for my sins if I spent an eternity in hell, but oh the Lord Jesus died for me. It's true, the wages of sin is death, but all the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If we had to pay for it, it wouldn't be a gift.
And yet, you know, in Romans, there's a beautiful expression. It says the free gift of God, as if God would say, I know you understand what a gift is, but I'm going to punctuate it by calling it a free gift. God tonight, in his love and grace, has provided A savior, and through that savior a way of salvation.
We're burdened tonight as we look into the faces of young people.
As we look into the faces of boys and girls.
Who sit in these meetings from year to year.
Sometimes you pass the time by writing notes to one another.
Sometimes you pass the time by whispering back and forth.
Are you paying attention to these very serious issues? Tonight we're in earnest. Tonight, we're not fooling.
These things are real.
And we read that verse. Let me read it again in Titus chapter 2.
The Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself.
00:40:04
For us, he did indeed give himself at Calvary's cross.
In Galatians we read of two things in connection with the Lord giving himself.
We read of the reason why we read of the need in the first chapter.
And in the second chapter we read of the motive because in the first chapter it says he gave himself to say he gave himself for our sins.
That was the need. Man had sinned by one man's disobedience, sin entered, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. That's the need.
But there's something even more precious, if I can say it. In the second chapter, it says the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. It's true, he gave himself for my sins. But there was a motive. Not only a need, but there was a motive.
Sometimes people may see a need and they may fulfill it for one reason or another. Perhaps it's just in the long run, a selfish motive. Sometimes people didn't donate to charity and cause and different causes of humanity because they feel it's better to give it to that than give it to the government at income tax time. There may be a variety of motives as to why people show compassion or do good things.
But oh, here's a motive that supersedes all other motives.
He loved me and gave himself for me. I love to stand with the apostle Paul and echo those precious words. Can you stand with Paul? Could you come up here this evening and stand by my side? And could we say together with the apostle Paul, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me?
Has the blood of Jesus washed your sins away?
This meeting is almost over another 10 minutes or so, but we want to make much tonight of the blood of Christ. It's God's remedy for sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanseth us from all sin. We're redeemed, not with corruptible things as silver and gold.
Received from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your Father's, but with the precious blood of Christ.
You know, I'm basing my salvation tonight, my redemption, not on something that changes in value.
The stock market closes in. The value of gold and silver is that one price. It opens again on Monday and the value begins to fluctuate once again and the end of the week. When it closes on Friday, it closes at another price.
Gold and silver change in value. But oh, tonight you can base your soul's salvation not on something that changes in value, like gold and silver, but you can base your soul's salvation on the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the blood of the Lamb that the redeemed will sing about in the Father's house for all eternity. Because we will realize then that it was the blood of of the Lamb that redeemed us out of every kindred and tongue.
And people and nation. And I'm thankful tonight for the value that God places on the blood of Christ. I don't base my salvation tonight on my appropriation of the blood of Christ or my sense of its value, because that, I am afraid, is very feeble at best. But God said of the Passover lamb in Exodus 12, When I see the blood, I will pass over you. It was for the eye of God. It was the value that God placed on the blood of the Passover lamb.
And what value does he place on our Passover which is sacrificed for us and that precious blood that flowed at Calvary's cross? And he says in Colossians he's made peace through the blood of his cross. Do you have peace tonight? Do you have peace with God tonight? You could never make peace with God, but the Lord Jesus has done it through the blood of his cross.
And you can, before this hour is completed, come into the good of settled peace in your soul in a world where there's no peace. Is there peace in this world? I had a lady tell me some time ago, she thought that this world was on a course that was going to lead to better and better things. And that through the advancements of technology and the advancements of medicine and knowledge and so on, the things we're going to get better and better.
00:45:12
Has technology.
Made things better.
It's only made life more complicated. Now, instead of working 8 hours a day, we work 14 hours a day. Instead of having Saturday off, we take a briefcase of work home and we work on it on the weekend.
Has technology improved this world? Has it made the electoral system in this country any better? No, It's only led to all kinds of confusion.
Has modern medicine made things better in this world? We're thankful for modern medicine, aren't we? We don't despise these mercies that God has allowed man to develop.
But they're not the answer. They just get one disease they think conquered, or some medication to keep it in check in. Another disease pops up. Something here and something there.
This world is under judgment. This world is not getting better. This world is ripened, ripening, or shall I say, it is ripe for the judgment of God, and judgment will fall.
But oh, you can have peace in the midst of an unsettled world.
You can have peace in a world where there's only wars and rumors of wars, The peace of God that passeth all understanding, and it does pass understanding. It's only the one who has availed themselves of the finished work of Calvary that can enjoy this peace. The man of the world is seeking peace, and he can't understand why he can't find it.
But for the Christian, what peace it gives us to know that our sins are forgiven?
That hell is not going to be our portion at the end of this life to know that we are waiting for God's son.
To give that shout and call a safe home, to be with themselves. To know that we have a glorious future.
And not only so, but one that cares for us in this life.
People talk about what they'll have to give up if they become a Christian, but the only thing I gave up when I got saved were my sins, and I'm glad they're gone. As far as the East is from the West, so far as he removed our transgressions from us and they're gone. My sins and iniquities, I will remember no more.
And what I have gained in return is far greater than anything I ever could comprehend. I have not seen, nor re heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.
But I read a solemn verse in Hebrews chapter 2.
A verse that brings us to the end of this gospel meeting. We've spoken of good tidings of great joy.
We've spoken of a great God and savior.
We've spoken of a great love.
But let me read this verse again. How shall we escape?
If we neglect so great salvation, I suppose it's a great salvation because it was at great cost, great cost to God the Father, great cost to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And isn't it solemn to consider that at the end of a gospel meeting we read a verse like this that says how shall we escape if we neglect?
So great salvation. If you came into this gospel meeting at about 5:00 to 7:00 tonight or so, and you were not saved, you have neglected so great salvation for approximately 1 hour. Do you realize how dangerous that is? Do you realize the awful reality of neglecting and finding that there's a moment when it's too late?
William the Third was King of Scotland.
And after some battles between different of the tribes, the clans, I should say in Scotland in those days William the Third decided to grant amnesty and pardon to any who would come.
Before the 31St of December of that particular year.
There was a chief of one of the clans.
Who was a particularly warlike chief. He'd had a great deal to do with the battles that had raged in Scotland at that time.
00:50:07
And he decided that he would seek this pardon.
And that he would have audience with William 3 before the 31St of December. But he made one fatal mistake. He waited until the 29th to begin his trek to see William 3.
He didn't count on the delays that arose. Some inclement weather, a bad snowstorm, a Blizzard, and he didn't make it. He arrived only to find that his doom was sealed. Because he put it off, he neglected. Are you going to neglect God's offer of pardon tonight? Are you going to neglect God's wonderful salvation? There's no need for you to wait another moment. The Lord Jesus is coming.
Scripture warns us solemnly that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
And warns us too, that when once the master of the house hath risen up and shut to the door.
Then they'll be, they'll come, and they'll begin to say, Lord, Lord, open unto us, And that door is never reopened.
Those words ring out from the other side of that door to ring in the ears of the knocker for all eternity.
Depart from me. I never knew you.
You know there is a book.
Being sold in Christian circles today and a movie that has been made based on that book.
Which is a lie of the devil, because this book propagates the thought that after the Lord Jesus comes, those who have had opportunity to receive the gospel of the grace of God will have a second chance. I tremble when I see material like that being circulated.
It may mean the doom, the eternal doom of many souls.
But don't be deceived. Tonight the word of God stands. The door will never be opened again.
It's going to be shut. And this verse raises a question. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?
A man was walking the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa one time.
And he noticed a piece of paper in the gutter with these words, a £5000 reward.
He stopped and bent over to pick up that paper, curious as to how.
He could receive a £5000 reward.
He read further a £5000 reward offered to the individual who can answer the following question. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Needless to say that reward.
Has never been collected. Oh, there will be no escape. These things are real.
These things are solemn. God is speaking to you. I know the devil's whispering in your ear. I know Satans at work. He's the great procrastinator. He wants you to put it off and put it off and put it off. But I'm going to close my Bible in a moment and pray. And I beg of you not to rise up from that seat until you have settled this solemn and eternal question of where you will spend eternity.
God loves you. He's the great God and Savior he's provided the Lord Jesus Christ.
His great love has been fully displayed. The grace of God that bringeth salvation to all men hath appeared.
Don't neglect that great salvation.
Don't get out of your seat until quietly in your heart you have confessed your need, your sins, realized your great need, and received God's great and wonderful salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Let's pray.